The effects of exercise and nutritional counseling in women with Polycystric Ovary Syndrome
Date
2002Author
Lindstrom, Brenda Gail
Type
ThesisDegree Level
MastersMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Purpose: To study the effects of a supervised exercise program combined
with nutritional counseling on the hormonal aberrations associated with menstrual
and reproductive function in women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).
Methods: Twelve females with a clinical, biochemical and ultrasonographic
diagnosis of PCOS (age= 30.7 ± 1.3, weight= 98.1 kg ± 4.6, height= 1.6 m ± 0.02,
BMI = 36.6 kg/m2 ± 1.7, waist circumference= 98.7 cm ± 3.4) were randomly
assigned to receive either exercise (EN; cardiovascular and resistance training 3
x/wk) plus nutritional counseling (1 x/wk; n = 7) or nutritional counseling only (N;
1 x/wk; n = 5) for a period of 12 weeks. Measurements of anthropometry, resting
metabolic rate (RMR), selected hormones and ovarian follicle population were
taken pre and post-intervention. Results: Repeated measures ANOVA revealed a
greater decrease in sum of 5 skinfolds (p = 0.05) and a greater increase in estimated
VO2max (p = 0.02) in the EN group compared to the N group. There was a
significant decrease in waist circumference (p = 0.001), waist:hip ratio (p = 0.002),
and insulin levels (p = 0.03) in both the EN and N groups following the
intervention, although there was no group x time interaction. There were no
statistically significant changes in androgen or lipid levels or ovarian follicle
population. Following the intervention, however, one subject in the EN group
became pregnant. Conclusion: Although there were no statistically significant
changes in the hormone levels, apart from the insulin, there was a trend towards an
improved hormonal profile which occurred in the absence of weight loss. These
findings suggest that exercise and nutritional counseling, in the absence of a significant weight loss, may be beneficial in reversing the metabolic and
reproductive abnormalities of PCOS.