Resveratrol May Aid Hormone Imbalance in PCOS Patients

Resveratrol, a natural compound found in grapes, blueberries, and raspberries, could help correct a hormone imbalance seen in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), according to new research.

Noting that women with PCOS produce slightly higher amounts of testosterone—which can increase the risk of health problems as well as lead to other issues such as irregular or absent menstrual periods, infertility, and weight gain, for example—researchers conducted a study designed to evaluate the endocrine and metabolic effects of resveratrol on PCOS.
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The investigators performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that evaluated the effects of resveratrol over a period of 3 months at Poznan University of Medical Sciences in Poznan, Poland. Participants with PCOS were identified based on the Rotterdam criteria, according to the authors. Thirty-four patients were enrolled, with 30 subjects completing the trial. The authors performed evaluations at baseline and repeated after 3 months of treatment. Patients were administered resveratrol or placebo on a daily basis.

Overall, total testosterone levels fell by 23.1% among those receiving resveratrol, while testosterone levels rose by 2.9% among women in the placebo group. The researchers also found that dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS)—another hormone that can be converted into testosterone in the body—decreased by 22.2% among women in the resveratrol group. In addition, the female patients receiving resveratrol throughout the study ultimately showed more responsiveness to the hormone insulin over the course of the 3-month study, according to the authors.

"Resveratrol significantly reduced ovarian and adrenal androgens," the researchers wrote, adding that this effect may be, at least in part, related to an improvement of insulin sensitivity and a decline of insulin level.

—Mark McGraw

Reference:

Banaszewska B, Wrotyńska-Barczyńska J, Spaczynski RZ, Pawelczyk L, Duleba AJ. Effects of resveratrol on polycystic ovary syndrome: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial [published online October 18, 2016]. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1210/jc.2016-1858.