PCOS Review Newsletter #37

Natural Health Ideas for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.
A free monthly newsletter for women with ovarian cysts or PCOS.

Issue #037      October 20, 2006 Bill Slater, Research Associate

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1) Does PCOS Increase Your Risk of Endometrial Cancer?

2) Why Potatoes Are Not in Our PCOS Diet Book

3) How Magnesium Helps PCOS

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1) Does PCOS Increase Your Risk of Endometrial Cancer?

Polycystic ovarian syndrome is characterized by a lack of ovulation and high levels of (androgens) male hormones. In addition, insulin resistance and accompanying high insulin levels commonly occur.

According to a recent study from the University of California (San Francisco), there is increasing evidence that the glandular and metabolic abnormalities in PCOS may have complex effects on the endometrium, including endometrial dysfunction, infertility, increased miscarriage rate, endometrial hyperplasia (abnormal cell growth), and endometrial cancer.

The possible reasons for this are complex and not fully understood. However, we'll mention a couple of them here.

Disordered sex hormones are one factor. They include elevated estrogen without the opposing effects of progesterone. This is referred to as "estrogen dominance". The other sex hormone factor is that androgen (male hormones) are too high.

Another major factor is insulin resistance and too much insulin floating around in the blood. The effects of this excess are many. For example, it appears that too much insulin may inhibit the normal process of cell development, leading to unusual cells that are seen as either pre-cancerous or cancerous.

The solution is NOT to go out and get a hysterectomy to minimize your risk of endometrial cancer. A better approach is to start rebalancing your hormones with diet, exercise, stress management, nutritional supplements (if needed) and other natural therapies.

We urge you to be proactive and take action now to improve your health so you won't have to worry about endometrial cancer or getting a hysterectomy.

Source:
Giudice LC, Endometrium in PCOS: Implantation and predisposition to endocrine CA, Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006 Jun;20(2):235-44

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2) Why Potatoes Are Not in Our PCOS Diet Book

If you have a copy of The Natural Diet Solution for PCOS and Infertility, you've probably noticed that we don't have potatoes in our recipies and we don't have them in our list of recommended foods.

The reason is that they tend to cause blood sugar and insulin problems. Since you already probably have these problems and you already have an increased risk for diabetes, you don't want to make the situation worse by eating a lot of potatoes.

Our recommendation is borne out by the Harvard Medical School's report on the Nurses' Health Study. The study involved 84,555 women with no history of chronic disease, aged 34-59 years at the start of the study. The researchers found that consumption of potatoes and french fries were each found to be associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes during a 20 year follow up with these women.

The increased risk was moderate but significant, about 15%-20%. Consuming one serving of potatoes a day, or eating french fries twice a week was sufficient to create this level of risk.

Source:
Halton TL et al, Potato and french fry consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes in women, Am J Clin Nutr, 2006; 83(2): 284-90

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3) How Magesium Helps PCOS

Magnesium is a mineral that is essential for all kinds of metabolic processes. Unfortunately, it is quite common for women to be deficient in magnesium and not know it.

Magnesium is important for women with PCOS, for a number of reasons. We'll review just one of the reasons here.

As you may know, one important but underrecognized aspect of polycystic ovary syndrome is chronic inflammation, which makes symptoms worse. For example, it's well known that PCOS women tend to have an elevated level C-reactive protein, an inflammatory marker in the blood.

The Medical University of South Carolina has recently reported that there is an inverse correlation between magnesium levels and C-reactive protein. In other words, the lower the magnesium, the higher the inflammation. The higher the magnesium, the lower the inflammation.

The study of 10,024 adults showed that supplementation with magnesium was associated with a reduced likelihood of having elevated levels of C-reactive protein. Elevated levels of C-reactive protein has been associated with the development of various inflammatory conditions, including cardiovascular disease.

It's wise to pay attention to your magnesium intake. Good dietary sources of magnesium are any green vegetable and raw nuts. However, many women would benefit from taking a high quality multi-vitamin/mineral that includes magnesium.

Source:
King DE, et alMagnesium supplement intake and C-reactive protein levels in adults, Nutrition Research, 2006; 26(5): 193-196

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Thought for Today: "You've got to sing like you don't need the money, love like you'll never get hurt. You've got to dance like no one is watching. It's gotta come from the heart, if you want it to work." -- Susannah Clark

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