Healing PCOS. Amy Medling

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СКАЧАТЬ turmeric, and cinnamon tea are all effective.

       Androgen excess. Tea’s anti-androgenic effects and ability to modulate estrogen production make it a popular treatment for PCOS. Spearmint, red reishi, licorice, Chinese peony, and green teas all have androgen-lowering effects.

       Mood, stress, and anxiety. Tea is an excellent stress reliever. Tea contains an amino acid called L-theanine, which studies show creates a state of deep relaxation and mental alertness. In addition, researchers have found that tea promotes a sense of calm distinct from its chemical impact on our body and brain. In this way, drinking tea is an act of self-care. I especially like matcha and chamomile teas when I’m stressed.

       Inflammation. Tea has been used for centuries to fight inflammation, and modern science has finally verified its analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties, particularly in green tea varieties. This means relief for PCOS symptoms such as acne, headaches, and fatigue, and it may lessen weight gain and decrease your risk of diabetes.

       Use Supplements to Fill in Gaps

      There is no “perfect” diet. Even a well-balanced diet will have nutritional gaps. Women with PCOS often benefit from herbal supplements to help with specific symptoms such as insulin resistance, inflammation, hormone balance, or stress.

      So why can’t we simply upgrade our diets and get the nutrients we need? The following are the main reasons women with PCOS may find themselves to be nutrient deficient.

      Deficient diet. The Standard American Diet (SAD)—a diet high in sugar and refined carbohydrates and low in lean meats and vegetables—seems an obvious reason for nutrient deficiency. Many Americans are overfed and undernourished as a result of SAD. For women with PCOS, this diet induces high levels of insulin, which stimulate androgen receptors on the ovaries and cause many of the most common symptoms, such as hirsutism, thin hair on the head, and acne. Our bodies signal this lack of nutrients with increasing intensity as the problem goes on. Eventually, diabetes may develop. Studies specifically find that zinc, magnesium, chromium, and vitamin D are commonly deficient in patients with diabetes and women with PCOS.

      Even if you have upgraded your diet to include lots of vegetables and lean meats, the foods available to the general public no longer contain the high levels of nutrients they enjoyed historically. Modern agricultural methods have stripped nutrients from the soil. The blueberries you eat today probably do not contain the same amount of nutrients that blueberries did when your grandmother ate them.

      Nutrient conversion issues. Research demonstrates that many women with PCOS are unable to convert vitamins and minerals into the forms needed in the body.

      Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR). This gene instructs the body to make an enzyme that converts folic acid (B₉) into a useable form, folate. When this occurs, we say it has been methylated. If you have the MTHFR mutation, your body is less efficient at making the conversion and therefore utilizing the folic acid in multivitamins and prenatal vitamins, which is important in preventing serious birth defects. A lack of folate may also result in lethargy, mood disorders, and impaired cognitive function. MTHFR is also responsible for converting homocysteine into methionine, which you need for growth, cell repair, and metabolism. High levels of homocysteine in the blood may negatively affect mood and mental health and are associated with cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, depression, migraines, and more. A high-quality supplement containing folate instead of folic acid can help. I suggest all women with PCOS be tested for the MTHFR mutation.

      Delta-6-desaturase (D6D). Foods such as flaxseed, leafy greens, and walnuts are high in an omega-3 fatty acid called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Omega 3s are widely recommended for their many health benefits, especially for the brain, eyes, and heart. For women with PCOS, sufficient amounts of omega 3s can improve fertility, regulate hormones, improve insulin sensitivity, stave off inflammation, reduce hirsutism, and reduce the risk of fatty liver and heart disease. Unfortunately, for ALA to be used in the body, it must first be converted by an enzyme called delta-6-desaturase (D6D) into one of two other omega-3 fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). This transformation is very inefficient and is further inhibited by elevated cholesterol, caffeine or alcohol consumption, saturated fat or trans-fat consumption, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and hormonal abnormalities, insulin resistance, and hypothyroidism. Even when D6D functions normally, only about 8 to 20 percent of ALA is converted to EPA and 0.5 to 9 percent to DHA (this may be slightly higher in women of childbearing age or who are pregnant). The omega 3s found in fish (and fish oil) are already in the form of DHA and EPA, so they do not need to undergo this conversion and are more bioavailable. Still, it is hard to safely eat enough fish to meet the daily requirements.

      Inositol. Inositol is a vitamin found in whole-grain foods and made by your body from glucose. Myo-inositol and D-chiro-inositol are two of the nine naturally occurring inositols that people need. These two inositols help with insulin sensitization, and women with PCOS commonly benefit from supplementation.

      Found in meat, myo-inositol is critical for properly functioning insulin receptors. It has also been linked to the activation of serotonin (a “feel good” hormone) receptors, which could relieve depression and improve appetite, mood, and anxiety. Supplementation may help with inducing menses and ovulation and reducing acne and hirsutism. Myo-inositol is found in food, but women with PCOS often have a defect in their insulin pathways, which are heavily reliant on inositols. Adding myo-inositol supplementation seems to alleviate the problem.

      Not abundant in our diets, D-chiro-inositol (DCI) needs to be converted from other inositols (myo-inositol and D-pinitol) by the body in order to be used. Studies suggest that women with PCOS may not be able to efficiently convert other inositols to DCI. Low levels of DCI have commonly been observed in women with impaired insulin sensitivity and PCOS. DCI increases the action of insulin, improves ovulatory function, and decreases serum androgen, blood pressure, and triglycerides. It may also help decrease testosterone and improve IVF outcomes.

      Check Your Vitamin D

      Three out of four women with PCOS have a vitamin-D deficiency. This may exacerbate the symptoms of PCOS and increase the risk for multiple sclerosis, inflammation, type 1 diabetes, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, heart disease, insulin resistance, and breast and other cancers. A vitamin-D deficiency may be caused by a genetic variation or a nutritional deficit.

      Vitamin D works to inhibit inflammation. In a recent study, researchers at National Jewish Health found a DNA receptor СКАЧАТЬ