PCOS Review Newsletter #48

A free health newsletter for women with polycystic ovary syndrome or polycystic ovaries.

Issue #048      October 12, 2007 Bill Slater, Research Associate

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1) Women -- and Their Babies -- Need Omega-3 Fats

2) Do You Have PCOS? Your Brother Is at Risk

3) Exercise is Your Secret Weapon

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1) Women -- and Their Babies -- Need Omega-3 Fats

According to recent research, there are many reasons why you should make sure you're consuming enough omega-3 fatty acids such as those found in fish oil.

First of all, researchers from the University of Paris found that omega-3 fats are vital for the developing fetus as well as for a breast-fed baby.

This finding was confirmed by another study at the University of Western Australia. In this study, one group of pregnant women were given fish oil while the other group was given a placebo. When the babies were 2-1/2 years old, they were tested.

The babies of the fish oil mothers had significantly better eye and hand coordination than did the babies of mothers who did not take fish oil. The authors of the study conclude, "Maternal fish oil supplementation during pregnancy is safe for the fetus and infant, and may have potentially beneficial effects on the child's eye and hand coordination".

In addition, researchers report that optimal levels of omega-3 fats may have a favorable effect on some cancers, depression, dementia, hypertension, diabetes, and macular degeneration of the eyes.

Omega-3 fats are also beneficial for PCOS, which we discuss on our fish oil webpage.

If you're like most women, there's a very good chance that you have an insufficiency of omega-3 fats. You may need to supplement with fish oil capsules or cod liver oil. If you do not take supplements, we suggest you at least eat fish or "omega-3" eggs on a regular basis.

Source:
Bourre JM Dietary omega-3 fatty acids for women, Biomed Pharmacother. 2007 Feb-Apr;61(2-3):105-12
Dunstan JA, et al, Cognitive assessment at 2(1/2) years following fish oil supplementation in pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial, Arch. Dis. Child. Fetal Neonatal Ed., [Epub, 21 December 2006]

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2) Do You Have PCOS? Your Brother Is at Risk

As you may know, polycystic ovary syndrome is partly an inherited disorder. That is, certain families have a genetic predisposition toward this disorder. Part of this predisposition is an increased likelihood of developing a condition call "insulin resistance", which is thought by some clinicians to be a primary cause of PCOS.

However, this inherited problem is not restricted to women and girls. Males are also affected, according to research just released by the University of Sherbrook in Canada.

The study showed that brothers of women with polycystic ovarian syndrome also had increased insulin resistance and other metabolic problems similar to the women.

PCOS is a family affair that is not restricted to females. If you have a brother, you might have a conversation with him about the possibility that each of you has a similar health challenge.

Source:
Baillargeon JP et al, Brothers of women with polycystic ovary syndrome are characterised by impaired glucose tolerance, reduced insulin sensitivity and related metabolic defects, Diabetologia. 2007 Sep 27; [Epub ahead of print]

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3) Exercise is Your Secret Weapon

For years, we've promoted the idea that regular exercise is extremely helpful for reducing symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome as well as for losing fat weight. Of course, exercise does wonders for your overall health and longevity.

If exercise is substandard or missing from your daily life, read this.

We're fortunate to have as an exercise advisor a woman who is both an experienced personal trainer and who also has PCOS. She knows exactly what you're going through.

Her name is Gemma Taylor. She will be sharing her knowledge, experience and insights our The PCOS Exercise Consultant webpage. Please visit this page. You can also read her personal story there.

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Thought for Today: "You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it." -- Margaret Thatcher

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