PCOS and veganism
There have been many claims that different types of diets can help in reducing symptoms of PCOS. Research has investigated the impact of a ketogenic diet, vegetarianism, high fat and low carb diets … the list goes on! More recently the question has been raised about whether a vegan diet can help with PCOS symptoms.
What is a vegan diet?
First, let’s look at what the vegan diet actually is. The vegan diet includes not eating anything derived from animals, including meat, dairy or eggs. The diet consists of only plant-based foods, such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and grains. There are many reasons why someone would decide to become vegan including health reasons, ethical reasons, or just personal preference. The vegan diet has become very trendy as of late and now there are questions arising about whether it would be beneficial to individuals with PCOS.
What does the research say?
As of yet, there has been very little research done on the link between the two and when trying to research the topic there has been no concrete evidence found to support any claims made. There have been no studies to confirm that a vegan lifestyle will help alleviate PCOS symptoms.
There have been reports from different people living with PCOS who have tried a vegan diet for a period of time and have claimed that it helped in lowering inflammation and weight loss. However, they had only tried the diet for a short period of time and there was no professional study completed to analyse the results.
What’s the link between a vegan diet and PCOS?
The main reason that people think that a vegan diet may help with PCOS is because reports have found the vegan diet has helped in controlling diabetes, which is an insulin based disorder. PCOS is also related to insulin in the form of insulin resistance and therefore it is thought that there could be a link between the vegan diet and the levels of insulin in the blood for PCOS. However, no completed research studies have been able to back this theory.
One study completed by the University of South Carolina examined 18 individuals who suffer with PCOS over a 6-month period. They found that the vegan diet resulted in a loss of weight. However, there was no mention of improvement of symptoms. As well as this, the study conducted was only completed on 18 women which will affect the accuracy of these results.
Considerations for adopting a vegan diet
It is important to consider whether adopting a vegan diet will allow you to include all of the necessary nutrients our bodies need to function optimally. Many vegans often require supplementation of different nutrients such as iron and B12, as they cannot consume enough through their diets.
Main takeaways for veganism and PCOS
As outlined above, there are many reasons why someone may want to try veganism, however there is no concrete evidence currently that a vegan diet will be beneficial for PCOS management.
The main thing to remember is that everyone’s body is different, and what works for one person may not work for another. Consuming a balanced, sustainable diet you enjoy is what’s most important.
