Dietary management of Polycystic ovary syndrome.

Background Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine condition in women associated with obesity, reproductive and metabolic abnormalities. It improves with weight loss, however currently no specific dietary recommendations exist and there may be abnormalities in appetite regulation in PCOS that contribute to difficulty in weight management. Aims To assess the effect of 1) short and long-term weight loss and weight maintenance strategies on weight loss, reproductive and metabolic parameters in overweight women with PCOS and to 2) assess the relative effect of weight loss on cardiovascular risk factors and 3) postprandial appetite, appetite hormones (ghrelin, CCK, PYY) and food intake in overweight women with and without PCOS. Results Overweight women with PCOS followed an 8-week weight loss (2 meal replacements/day, 4904.4±127 kJ, n=32) followed by a 6 month carbohydrate (<120 g/day) or fat restricted (