Inulin‐type fructans with different degrees of polymerization improve insulin resistance, metabolic parameters, and hormonal status in overweight and obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A randomized double‐blind, placebo‐controlled clinical trial

Abstract

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with reproductive disorders and adverse cardiometabolic risk factors that can negatively impact the general health of women. Inulin‐type fructans (ITFs) are proposed to beneficially affect risk factors associated with metabolic disorders. Whether ITFs can help with the management of PCOS by modifying insulin resistance (IR) and androgen levels has not yet been explored. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ITFs with different degrees of polymerization on insulin resistance, blood lipids, anthropometric measures, and hormonal status in overweight and obese women with PCOS. In a randomized double‐blind placebo‐controlled trial, seventy‐five women with PCOS aged 18–40 years old were randomly assigned to receive 10 g/day of high‐performance inulin (HPI) or oligofructose‐enriched inulin (OEI) or maltodextrin for 12 weeks. Biochemical and clinical outcomes were measured at baseline and after the intervention. Participants in the HPI and OEI groups experienced improvements in waist circumference, total testosterone, free androgen index, sex hormone‐binding globulin, and triglycerides compared to the placebo group. Also, the number of women with irregular menses or oligomenorrhoea decreased significantly in both ITF groups. Participants in the HPI group reported lower body mass, fasting insulin, and HOMA‐IR, as well as a higher quantitative insulin sensitivity check index. ITF supplementation, especially with long‐chain ITFs, when given for 12 weeks may improve metabolic outcomes, androgen status and clinical manifestations in women with PCOS.