Oral Presentation The Joint Annual Scientific Meetings of the Endocrine Society of Australia and the Society for Reproductive Biology 2017

The impact of macronutrient balance on the development of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) traits (#13)

Valentina Rodriguez-Paris 1 , Samantha M. Solon-Biet 2 , Melissa C. Edwards 1 3 , Michael J. Bertoldo 1 , Robert B. Gilchrist 1 , Stephen J. Simpson 2 , David J. Handelsman 3 , Kirsty A. Walters 1 3
  1. School of Women's & Children's Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
  2. Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney , Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
  3. ANZAC Research Institute, University of Sydney , Sydney, NSW 2139, Australia

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex disorder characterized by reproductive, endocrine and metabolic abnormalities. The etiology of PCOS is unknown and, in the absence of mechanistic understanding, current medical management relies on symptomatic treatment. Hyperandrogenism is a defining characteristic of PCOS, and diet is inherently associated since obesity is present in 40-80% of women with PCOS. Dietary interventions are appealing as a powerful public health intervention to prevent or ameliorate the manifestation of PCOS, but the optimal diet for PCOS treatment remains undefined. Previously we proved in female mice that the reproductive and metabolic traits that contribute to the PCOS phenotype are strongly impacted by dietary macronutrient balance. Therefore, we combined a mouse model of dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-induced PCOS with different diets varying in macronutrient content to determine the impact of protein (P), carbohydrate (C) and fat (F) in the development of PCOS. Mice were provided ad libitum access to one of 10 diets varying in P, C and F content and collected after 10 weeks of diet exposure. Although PCOS mice exhibit estrous acyclicity, despite the presence of hyperandrogenism estrous cyclicity was rescued in PCOS mice on diets with a P:C ratio of 0.7:1, with fat having a negligible effect. Total body weight and body fat (%) were significantly higher in PCOS mice compared with control regardless of diet (P<0.05). In PCOS mice, diets which minimized obesity were achieved at a P:C ratio of 2:1. Irrespective of diet, compared to controls, PCOS mice exhibited a significant increase in fasting blood glucose (P<0.05), but minimal glucose levels were observed in PCOS mice on a P:F diet with a ratio of 1:14. These findings demonstrate that PCOS traits are strongly influenced by dietary macronutrient balance, and provide evidence that dietary interventions can ameliorate reproductive and metabolic traits of experimental PCOS.