PCOS: NAC Articles

NAC (n-acetyl-cysteine) is a stable derivative of the amino acid cysteine, which has antioxidant properties and is required for the body's production of glutathione. Glutathione, along with NAC, are powerful antioxidants. Adequate antioxidants are essential for protecting your cells from damage, especially if you have PCOS. Women with PCOS tend to need more antioxidants because they are under increased oxidant stress. NAC is available for purchase on this site.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Seven Ways NAC Might Be Useful to You

NAC Improves Fertility in PCOS Women

NAC Improves Insulin Sensitivity in Women with PCOS

Fatty Liver Degeneration from PCOS Helped by NAC

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Seven Ways NAC Might Be Useful to You

NAC (n-acetyl-cysteine) is a substance that has antioxidant properties. Adequate antioxidants are essential for protecting your cells from damage.

NAC is not found in the diet but is available as a nutritional supplement. It is also available as a FDA-approved prescription drug.

Research is suggesting that NAC has a number of possible uses for women who have PCOS:

• Reduce insulin resistance.
• Improve probability of ovulation.
• Reduce inflammation.
• Improve detoxification.
• Reduce consequences of NASH (non-alcoholic liver disease).
• Reduce pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia.
• Reduce "advanced glycation products" (AGEs).

In this article, we'll just briefly review the last item in the list: AGEs (advanced glycation products).

Glycation is the result of sugars combining with protein or fats. The combined materials are referred to as advanced glycation products or AGEs.

Some AGEs are benign but for the most part they are harmful or toxic. Typically, they cause inflammation and have been linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's, cancer, peripheral neuropathy and other chronic disorders. AGEs may also shorten your lifespan.

Other AGEs are found in your diet. Any foods containing sugars, protein and fat will produce AGEs when they are subjected to heat while cooking or processing. Some processed foods also have AGEs added to them to improve flavor or give them a more appealing color.

A few examples are donuts, barbecued meats, baked goods, French fries, and dark colored soda pop. Another example is dark colored agave syrup, which some people mistakenly assume is a healthy sweetener. AGEs in processed foods is one reason why you will not find these types of foods in The Natural Diet Solution for PCOS and Infertility ebook.

Other AGEs occur inside your body as a byproduct of your metabolic processes. You stimulate AGE production when you consume foods that are high in sugars, including especially processed fructose such as high fructose corn syrup.

Another problem with excessive levels of AGEs is that they increase the probability of pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes and preeclampsia. Moreover, they are toxic to your developing baby.

It appears that NAC might reduce the risk of AGEs to an unborn fetus. The Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan studied rat embryos that were exposed to AGEs. Some of the embryos were also exposed to NAC. They discovered that NAC reduced the levels of AGEs in the treated embryos.

In summary, NAC is a nutritional supplement that may be helpful in a number of ways, especially if your diet is not so good.

You can find more information about NAC here.

Source:
Hao L et al, Adverse effects of advanced glycation end products on embryonal development, Acta Med Okayama. 2008 Apr;62(2):93-9

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NAC Improves Fertility in PCOS Women

Another medical study has just been published to show that supplemental NAC is helpful for women with PCOS who are trying to conceive and want to reduce risk of miscarriage.

NAC is n-acetyl-cysteine, a derivative of the amino acid cysteine. It is a very important antioxidant and thus protects the body from damage. NAC is available as a nutritional supplement, and as a FDA-approved prescription drug.

In this new study from Assiut University in Egypt, 60 Clomid-resistant women with PCOS were treated. "Clomid resistant" means that the women took the drug Clomid to induce ovulation, but the Clomid treatment did not work.

They then received ovarian drilling. Ovarian drilling is a surgical procedure in which a laser fiber or electrosurgical needle punctures the ovary 4 to 10 times. This treatment may lower the level of male hormones such as testosterone.

After the ovarian drilling, the women were divided into two groups. One group took supplemental NAC while the other group took a placebo for 5 days starting at day 3 of the cycle, for 12 consecutive cycles.

By the end of the study, the NAC group had a significant increase in both ovulation and pregnancy rates vs. the placebo group.

Moreover, miscarriage rates were significantly lower and live birth rates were significantly higher in the NAC group.

This study confirms earlier studies indicating NAC is a supplement that has value for women who have polycystic ovary syndrome.

You can get high-quality NAC here.

You can also click here for more information about NAC.

Source:
Nasr A, Effect of N-acetyl-cysteine after ovarian drilling in clomiphene citrate-resistant PCOS women: a pilot study, Reprod Biomed Online. 2009 Dec 14. [Epub ahead of print]

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NAC Improves Insulin Sensitivity in Women with PCOS

This study evaluated the effect of N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) on insulin secretion and peripheral insulin resistance in subjects with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Six lean and 31 obese women, aged 19-33 years, were treated for 5-6 weeks with NAC at a dose of 1.8 g/day orally. A dose of 3 g/day was arbitrarily chosen for massively obese people. Six of 31 obese with PCOS were treated with placebo and served as controls.

Before and after the treatment period, the hormonal and lipid (cholesterol, triglycerides) blood profile and insulin sensitivity were evaluated and an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed.

The women who had an exaggerated insulin response to a glucose challenge and who were treated with NAC showed an improvement in insulin function in the peripheral tissues.

This finding is important because women with PCOS frequently have an abnormally high insulin response to sugars and refined starches. The high insulin throws other hormones out of balance and disturbs many body functions.

The NAC treatment also induced a significant fall in testosterone levels and in free androgen index values.

The researchers concluded: "NAC may be a new treatment for the improvement of insulin circulating levels and insulin sensitivity in hyperinsulinemic patients with polycystic ovary syndrome."

N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is an altered form of the amino acid cysteine, which is commonly found in food and synthesized by the body. NAC supports your antioxidant system and thus helps prevent cell damage. It's available as a dietary supplement.

We don't recommend that you start using NAC at the 1.8 – 3 gram (that's 1,800 – 3,000 milligrams) dose used in this study. A health professional should assist you with this, especially if you are taking metformin. However, 500 milligrams or so daily should be OK for a start.

Although this is a small study, it suggests that NAC can play a role in improving your insulin sensitivity. Many of you are taking metformin for the same purpose. Improved insulin sensitivity is crucial to reversing PCOS.

Source:
Fulghesu AM et al N-acetyl-cysteine treatment improves insulin sensitivity in women with polycystic ovary syndrome, Fertil Steril 2002 Jun;77(6):1128-35

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Fatty Liver Degeneration from PCOS Helped by NAC

A startling percentage (possibly 55%) of women with PCOS also have a fatty liver degeneration disease called "nonalcoholic fatty liver disease" or NAFLD. NAFLD can develop into a more serious medical condition called "nonalcoholic steatohepatitis" or NASH, which is a form of liver inflammation.

There is no proven medical therapy for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

Oxidative stress and insulin resistance are the mechanisms that seem to be mostly involved in the progression of NAFLD and NASH. Oxidant stress occurs when your antioxidant defenses are insufficient to control biochemical processes. The result is tissue damage and all sorts of health problems, including chronic inflammation.

Medical studies have shown that women who have polycystic ovary syndrome also tend to have both oxidative stress and insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a condition where insulin does not work efficiently in your body.

Because oxidative stress and insulin resistance are so common in PCOS, it's no surprise that the liver is adversely affected, thus increasing the risk of NAFLD and possibly NASH.

Metformin is a drug that is often prescribed to treat insulin resistance. If insulin resistance can be reduced, stress on the liver is also reduced.

A recent study from the University of São Paulo School of Medicine in Brazil has shown that NAC in combination with metformin may be effective in treating NASH.

NAC (1.2 g/day) and metformin (850-1000 mg/day) were given orally for 12 months. A low calorie diet was prescribed for all patients.

At the end of the 12 months, fat deposits in the liver went down, and liver fibrosis was reduced. Other aspects of liver function were unchanged.

The researchers said: "Based on the biochemical and histological evidence in this pilot study, NAC in combination with metformin appears to ameliorate several aspects of NASH, including fibrosis."

Source:
de Oliveira CP et al, Combination of N-acetylcysteine and metformin improves histological steatosis and fibrosis in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, Hepatol Res. 2008;38(2):159-65

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