Callalilly wrote: Can a McDougall type of diet get hormones back on track? What kind of tests do you suggest I get done? Have you ever heard of this kind of problem before? I am not sure if this is your line of work but I figured it would not hurt to ask. Thanks
Hi Calla.
Thanks. Glad to be here.
High fat (and also low fiber) diets (and alcohol) have been shown to negatively effect hormone levels so following a healthy low fat high fiber diet can be helpful.
I am not sure of what tests you should have done as that is not one of my areas of specialty . Perhaps Dr Mcd can be of help there.
I am familiar with PCOS, if that is what you have, and there are several known important issues that have been shown to help PCOS from a healthy diet and lifestyle. These include reducing weight and reducing insulin resistance.
From...
Farshchi H, Rane A, Love A, Kennedy RL.Diet and nutrition in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): Pointers for nutritional management. J Obstet Gynaecol. 2007 Nov;27(8):762-73.PMID: 18097891
The article states...
"PCOS patients are not always markedly overweight but PCOS is strongly associated with abdominal obesity and insulin resistance. Effective approaches to nutrition and exercise improve endocrine features, reproductive function and cardiometabolic risk profile - even without marked weight loss."
and...
... Conclusions
"PCOS is a complex disorder due, in part but not exclusively to, insulin resistance and overweight. In practice, its management is often not entirely satisfactory from the patient's point of view. Treatment of PCOS may be divided as follows: (1) Attention to lifestyle factors including diet and exercise. (2) Management of specific aspects such as menstrual irregularity, anovulatory infertility, and hirsutism. (3) Dietary and exercise interventions to promote weight loss and improve glucose tolerance. (4) Pharmacological interventions to improve insulin sensitivity or to assist with weight loss. A scheme for management of the overweight or insulin resistant patient with PCOS is proposed in Figure 1. Although there has been a general increased interest in the role of lifestyle modification to favourably alter the clinical features of PCOS, much of what has been learned is by inference from the non-PCOS population. There is relatively little specific information on nutritional recommendations for patients with PCOS (Stein 2006; Hoeger 2006). The focus, to date, has been on the macronutrient components of the diet. Evidence is beginning to emerge that micronutrients are also important. Thus, there may be benefits to supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants (Stein 2006), and low vitamin D levels in some patients may contribute to the metabolic features of the syndrome (Hahn et al. 2006). Some early evidence supports non-pharmacological treatment including herb and nutritional supplements (Dennehy 2006; Westphal et al. 2006)."
The following general recommendations are adapted (and slightly modified by me
to make them healthier) from the above article ...
1. Focus your diet on low calorie foods to lose weight without hunger.
2. Exercise regularly: 30 min of moderate exercise daily will help to maintain body weight. More prolonged or vigorous exercise may be needed to produce weight loss.
3. Eat no more than 15% of daily calories from fat, restricting saturated fat to <5-7% total calories.
4. Eliminate refined carbohydrates. This is especially important in the beginning. For a better understanding or refined vs unrefined, read the newsletters at my website on this topic
5. Focus on higher soluble fiber foods like beans, oats, yams, barley and berries
6. Avoid red meat. Ensure adequate essential fat and Vit D intake. A TB of ground flax or 1 oz of English walnuts per day can help with essential fats and 10-20 minutes a day in the sun can help with the Vit D.
7. Eat at least 12 servings of fruit or vegetable per day. This promotes satiety, supplies fiber and maintains the micronutrient content of the diet.
8. Eat regularly and focus food intake on three (maximum four) meals per day.
9. Avoid calorie-dense snacks as they promote hyperinsulinaemia and drive hunger. Avoid liquid calories especially fruit juices, and alcoholic drinks which are often forgotten but are rich in calories and carbohydrates.
10. Even modest weight loss has health benefits. Achieving this requires creating an energy deficit which is best achieved thru a diet of low calorie foods with 30-60 minutes of vigorous exercise a day.
I hope this helps
In Health
Jeff Novick, MS, RD
