If you’ve ever searched for nutrition advice for PCOS, chances are you’ve come across the low-carb diet as a so-called solution. It’s one of the most talked-about diets for managing PCOS symptoms—but does it actually work?
We’re doing the hard work for you, breaking down what the research says so you can make an informed decision about whether it’s worth your time.
First, What Is PCOS?
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common hormonal conditions affecting women, impacting 6–10% of the population. Because of this, there’s no shortage of advice online about “the best diet” to manage it.
To be diagnosed with PCOS, you need to meet at least two of these three criteria:
- Cysts on the ovaries
- Irregular or infrequent ovulation (which affects your periods)
- Increased androgen levels (which can cause acne, facial hair growth, or hair thinning)
So, just having cysts on your ovaries doesn’t mean you have PCOS, and not everyone with PCOS will have cysts.
We’ve already covered PCOS basics and supplements that may help in separate blogs, so today, we’re cutting straight to the chase—does a low-carb diet actually help with PCOS? Let’s dive in.
What might you be seeing on social media?
Just a quick search of the tags on Instagram shows a range of Infographics. A mish-mash of information that would leave anybody confused.
You must cut out these foods, you should cut out carbs, you should never avoid carbs. A lot of definitive answers. With so much conflicting advice, we wanted to bring some clarity to low carbohydrate diets and PCOS
What is a Low Carbohydrate Diet?
The definition of low carb diet is an interesting place to start. . . I wonder, what do you think a low carb diet entails? No pasta, cutting out bread, and certainly skipping the potato?
That’s actually not the case. Low carbohydrate is defined as less than 45% of your diet being made up of carbohydrate. This means, you can certainly still eat the potato and have your toast for breakfast.
When implementing the low carbohydrate diet, we want to take the approach of abundance. Rather than looking at all the foods you should limit and restrict, let’s look at the foods you should eat more of (or in abundance!).
This might mean piling the veggies and salad onto your plate, finding ways to include more nuts in your meals and snacks, or looking for opportunities to add lean proteins and eggs into your meals.
PCOS & Low Carbohydrate Diet
There have been some promising studies that have shown the reduction of PCOS symptoms following a low carbohydrate diet. They’ve found reduced total cholesterol, increased insulin sensitivity, decrease the level of androgen, and restoration to the regularity of the menstrual cycle.
It’s important to note that these results were found in those following a low carb and low fat diet, those following the low carb and high fat diet did not have such promising results.
(Zhang, X. et al., 2019. The effect of low carbohydrate diet on polycystic ovary syndrome: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. International Journal of Endocrinology, 2019, pp.1–14.)
What about eliminating carbohydrates for PCOS management?
There have been a couple studies on the ketogenic diet for PCOS treatment. Ketogenic diet means eating less than 20-25g of carbohydrates a day. This would mean having to cut out bread, pasta, potato, but even carrots, chickpeas, and peas! However, similar outcomes were shown to just following a lower carb diet, so it’s good to know you don’t have to put your body under severe restriction to see positive results for your PCOS.
(Mavropoulos, J.C. et al., 2005. The effects of a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet on the polycystic ovary syndrome: A pilot study. Nutrition & Metabolism, 2(1))
Put your relationship with food first
We know that those with PCOS are at a higher risk of poor mental health. Diets can feel restrictive. They can lead to yo-yo dieting, where you restrict your intake for as long as possible, and then swing the other way to over-eating or possibly bingeing. It is absolutely not your fault if this happens to you, and is an incredibly common reaction. However this can lead to you having a poor relationship with food which can even influence your body image and lead to disordered eating patterns or eating disorders.
If making dietary changes leaves you feeling down and shameful, or you feel like a failure because you’re struggling to comply with a particular diet, we’re here to help.
Although there have been promising results with a low carbohydrate diet, this may not work for and that is absolutely ok, we have other options! This is where it’s a good idea to seek individual advice, because food and diet is not one size fits all!
Need More Support?
If you’re ready to approach your nutrition in a way that actually works for you, we’d love to have you on board. Our dashboard gives you unlimited access to your Dietitian, evolving with you as your goals and needs shift across your PCOS journey (and beyond). Schedule a free call below to chat to the team.
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