May 31st, 2010
High blood pressure is a classic symptom for those of us with heart-damaging PCOS. But unusually high nitrate levels in beetroot apparently help reduce blood pressure, according to a ten-year British study.
Nitrates create nitric oxide, a very powerful substance which is continually made by blood vessels to keep blood pressure low.
However, production of nitric oxide can falter, with a rise of blood pressure levels as a result, which is why beetroot provides a much-needed boost.
Nitric oxide is also made in large quantities by white cells in the bloodstream to fight infection, so a nitrate boost from beetroot also has this beneficial effect.
May 28th, 2010
The cognitive decline known as Alzheimer’s Disease tends to be regarded as an inherited brain condition that is hard to avoid if there’s a family history of the condition. But new research suggests reversing metabolic syndrome, which is closely linked to PCOS, not only reduces your chance of a heart attack but also increases the likelihood of avoiding dementia.
That’s because Alzheimer’s is partly driven by a key factor in heart-damaging metabolic syndrome called inflammation, a process that we do have some control over via a healthy diet and regular exercise.
In a study of volunteers whose parents developed dementia late in life, Danish researchers found that, compared with a second group of participants whose parents didn’t have Alzheimer’s, the first set of volunteers were more likely to have high blood pressure and high levels of inflammatory proteins called cytokines – symptoms closely linked to metabolic syndrome.
While the researchers noted that 60% of an individual’s risk of Alzheimer’s appears to be driven by inherited genes, the other 40% of the risk factor may be reduced by adopting a healthier lifestyle.
May 27th, 2010
A healthy diet and regular exercise can not only help to boost better control of PCOS symptoms like weight issues … but they can also lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, which is closely linked with polycystic ovarian syndrome.
US researchers tracked nearly 3,000 overweight people who had taken part in a three-year type 2 diabetes prevention program. The participants had initially been divided into three groups and assigned either to a diet and exercise program, the drug metformin or a placebo.
British medical journal The Lancet reported it was the dieters who reaped the biggest benefit. The most significant drop in the risk of developing diabetes was among those who had been in the group following a diet and exercise regime which resulted in weight loss.
While type 2 diabetes usually appears in people over the age of 40, increasing numbers of young adults as well as children are being diagnosed with the condition, some as young as seven.
Although obesity is an increased risk factor for type 2 diabetes, not all people with diabetes have weight problems. Equally, PCOS can afflict women who are of healthy weight or even lean.
May 26th, 2010
Depression is a common symptom of PCOS but those of us with both conditions may be able to improve mood by eating a better diet.
A new study suggests a diet high in processed food increases the risk of depression. What is more, people who ate plenty of whole foods like vegetables, fruit and fish actually had a lower risk of depression, say researchers at London’s University College.
The diets of 3,500 middle-aged civil servants were compared with the incidence of depression five years later, the British Journal of Psychiatry reported.
Those who ate the most whole foods had a 26% lower risk of future depression than those who ate the least of this type of food. By contrast people with a diet high in processed food had a 58% higher risk of depression than those who ate very few processed foods.
Physical and mental health are closely linked. But it is not yet clear why some foods may protect against or increase the risk of depression. However, scientists think there may be a link with heart-damaging inflammation, which is often linked with PCOS and brought on by a poor diet.
