Homocysteine and Ghrelin Link with Polcystic Ovary Syndrome in Relation to Obesity

Association between High Serum Homocysteine Levels and Biochemical Characteristics in Women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…In addition, five studies further matched PCOS and control groups in terms of B 12 and folate levels [ 7 , 14 , 22 , 25 , 35 ]. The selection of PCOS patients in seven studies [ 15 , 16 , 18 , 26 , 35 , 36 , 42 ] was according to NIH, and the other 27 studies [ 7 , 11 – 14 , 17 , 19 – 25 , 27 – 34 , 37 – 41 , 43 ] used the Rotterdam criteria. Three studies were assessed as “medium” quality [ 18 , 35 , 43 ] and the other 31 were all “high” quality studies according to NOS.…”

“…Interestingly, hyperhomocysteinemia was found both in normal-weight and over-weight women with PCOS, suggesting that increased homocysteine levels were not related to obesity. Previous case-control studies had found that elevated plasma homocysteine levels in PCOS patients were independent from obesity [ 57 ]. Indeed, even in the absence of obesity, patients with PCOS frequently have excessive body fat and central adiposity [ 58 ].…”

The Role of the Gastric Hormones Ghrelin and Nesfatin-1 in Reproduction

“…Although ghrelin concentration in follicular fluid was not different in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) compared to BMI-matched healthy controls [200], the majority of studies showed that in patients suffering from PCOS circulating ghrelin levels were decreased compared to healthy lean [201,202], obese healthy controls [201,203] and women with hyperandrogenemia [202]. Interestingly, obese adolescents with PCOS had lower ghrelin levels than lean ones [204]. Moreover, in patients suffering from insulin-resistant PCOS, circulating ghrelin was decreased in a similar extent as in patients that underwent a gastrectomy [201].…”

“…Firstly, patients suffering from PCOS display decreased circulating ghrelin levels compared to controls [201][202][203]. The extent of decrease of ghrelin in PCOS is supposedly depending on body weight and severity of PCOS [201,204], with an increase of ghrelin after treatment-induced normalization of hyperandrogenemia [201,205]. Secondly, observations that ghrelin was reduced in early onset preeclampsia, while it was increased in late onset preeclampsia [218], could explain why some studies report increased ghrelin in pregnancy-induced hypertension [213] and in mild and severe preeclampsia [216], while others describe reduced circulating ghrelin in preeclampsia [215,217].…”

Methylation potential associated with diet, genotype, protein, and metabolite levels in the Delta Obesity Vitamin Study

“…The transfer of the methyl group leads to the formation of Sadenosylhomocysteine (SAH), which is subsequently metabolized to homocysteine (Hcy). Plasma levels of SAM, SAH, and Hcy have independently and in combinations been associated with cardiovascular, neurological, immunological, and obesity pathologies (Poirier et al 2001c;Guerra-Shinohara et al 2004;Strain et al 2004;Selley 2007;Van Hecke et al 2008;Ming et al 2009;Obeid et al 2009;Panza et al 2009a, b;Linnebank et al 2010;Muller 2010;Altug Sen et al 2011). SAM is a product of the one-carbon pathway that requires nutritional cofactors folate, vitamin B6 (pyridoxal), and vitamin B12, and substrates choline, betaine, and methionine all of which are derived from the diet (Mason 2003;Lim et al 2007;Rubio-Aliaga et al 2011;Kasperzyk et al 2011;Dominguez-Salas et al 2013;Wadhwani et al 2013).…”