Efficacy of omega-3 in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a multifactorial, metabolic disorder.Its characteristics are chronic anovulation, polycystic ovaries and hyperandrogenism. This review study was conducted with aim of summarizing related studies with effect of omega-3 supplementation on androgen status, insulin resistance and levels of Leptin, and anthropometric indices in women with PCOS.Methods: In this study, all abstracts and full papers were obtained and studied through electronic searches by entering the keyword in the databases PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and Google in the period 2010-2015 .Result: The literature review indicates benefits on total testosterone with the use of omega-3 PUFA supplements on PCOS patients. Moreover, omega-3 supplementation reduces leptin when used for non obese subjects.Omega-3 supplementation could reduce serum concentrations of testosterone and regulate menstrual cycle without significant effect on SHBG and FAI. The dose range for omega3 supplement was 1.2g to 3.6g and the duration of follow-up was from 6 to 8 weeks. There was no significant effect of omega-3 fatty acids supplements compared to placebo on insulin resistance and HOMA -IR in women with PCOS.Conclusion: The results provide an evidence that supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids may not have a beneficial effect on improving insulin resistance in women with PCOS but could reduce serum concentrations of testosterone and leptin and regulate menstrual cycle. Furthermore, high-quality RCTs are required to definitively draw a causal interpretation of this finding.

Keywords:

Ovarian function , PCOS , Omega-3