When it comes to metabolic health, D - chiro -
inositol shows plenty of promise for women with PCOS that suffer from insulin resistance regardless of their bodyweight.
In one study comparing myo - inositol to Metformin, myo -
inositol showed slightly better results for restoring ovulation and increasing pregnancy rates.
Not exact matches
Myo -
inositol, in very high doses, has also been
shown to help with the treatment of obsessive - compulsive disorder and depression (Brink, Viljoen, deKock, Stein, & Harvey, 2004), which may be of interest to women who bear the dual suffering of lactation difficulty and depressive illness.
Chlamydia trachomatis inclusion
showing recruitment of the
inositol 1,4,5 - trisphosphate receptor type 3 to microdomains on the inclusion membrane (red).
Halbleib and coworkers confirmed this result by replacing all thirteen amino acids of the TMH in Ire1p with leucines and
showing that this mutated protein was still able to respond to membrane problems caused by either too much dithiothreitol (DTT) or too little
inositol.
The evidence: The brains of people with depression and bipolar disorder have been
shown to have below - average levels of
inositol, which prompted researchers to investigate whether
inositol supplements could help treat depression.
It comes in two forms: myo -
inositol and d - chiral
inositol, both of which have been
shown to significantly reduce insulin levels and improve hormonal balance in PCOS (25, 26, 27).
A plant based diet is also higher in
inositol which is present in grains, nuts and fruits and has been
shown in one study to improve insulin function (Gerli et al, ERMPS 2003; 7:151 - 9).
The Myo
inositol in pregnitude was
shown in studies to reduce testosterone.
As new research has
shown that a combination of myo and d - chiro
inositol improves PCOS better than
inositol alone, I have started using a product called Ovasitol, which is similar to Pregnitude but has d - chiro
inositol added.
Inositol is a nutrition supplement that has been
shown to improve insulin resistance in women with PCOS (you can read more about how it works here).
Interestingly in a new finding just published the use of high levels of
inositol and selenium have been
shown to reverse this disorder.....
This finding is consistent with many other studies that have
shown very modest weight loss at best when giving women with PCOS
inositol supplements.
Studies have
shown that myo -
inositol can improve insulin and glucose levels in women with PCOS.
Combating the ovulatory disorders that lead to infertility is one of the areas where
inositol supplements
show the most promise for women with PCOS.
This
inositol combination has been
shown to be more beneficial than either form of
inositol alone.
Yes, studies
show that
inositol helps regulate a woman's menstrual cycle (period), and restore normal ovulation.
There are also other studies
showing body weight is unaffected by
inositol supplements if you're a normal weight to start with (Genazzani et al. 20143) or you've been through menopause already (Santamaria et al. 20124).
When it comes to depression,
inositol supplements have been
shown to have a small but significant impact also (Levine et al. 199539) with the people most likely to see a benefit being those that experience premenstrual dysphoric disorder (Mukai et al. 201440).
Doses of 600 mg per day of D - chiro -
inositol have been
shown to improve insulin and androgen levels in lean women with PCOS (Luorno et al. 200231), while doses of 1000 mg per day have been effective at improving a range of metabolic and cardiovascular health indicators on a more representative PCOS population (Lagana et al. 201522).
Too much d - chiro
inositol has been
shown to worsen egg quality.
Inositol has also been
shown to improve egg quality, which is important for women trying to get pregnant.
Research
shows that
inositol helps to improve fertility chances by regulating menstruation (monthly period) and improving ovulation.
In addition to CoQ10, women who are older may also be interested in myo -
inositol and NAC, which have also been
shown in studies to improve egg quality in women with PCOS.
When it comes to fertility, a supplement that consists of 2000 mg of myo -
inositol plus 200 μg of folic acid taken twice daily for at least 3 months has
shown some pretty impressive results.
While this was good news for the half that managed to see a reduction in unwanted hair growth, this goes to
show that myo -
inositol is not a cure for hirsutism.
This ideal ratio has been
shown to work better than myo or d - chiro
inositol alone.
And for good reason: A combination of myo and d - chiro
inositol (Ovasitol) have been
shown to reduce insulin resistance and gestational diabetes, and
inositol helps to improve fertility by improving egg quality and ovulation.
For women who are not trying to get pregnant, or older women who are past menopause,
inositol has also been
shown to lower insulin, testosterone, triglyceride, and blood pressure levels, and increase HDL («good») cholesterol levels.
There is some evidence
showing D - chiro -
inositol is effective in improving ovarian function in women with PCOS that are a normal weight (Pizzo et al. 201421; Lagana et al. 201522), as well as in those that are overweight (Nestler et al. 199923).
The dietary supplement
inositol has also been
shown to lower insulin and improve glucose levels in women with PCOS and could be a good alternative to managing cravings for those who can't tolerate the side effects of metformin.
Taking myo and d - chiro
inositol in a 40:1 ratio has been
shown to improve egg quality and ovulation in women with PCOS in as little as three months, and may even work better than metformin.
A deficiency in
inositol has been
shown to produce an accumulation of triglycerides in the liver.
A number of studies have
shown that nutrients found in peanuts, including folic acid, phytosterols, phytic acid (
inositol hexaphosphate) and resveratrol, may have anti-cancer effects.
Both these studies
show encouraging news for
inositol being a promising first - line treatment for helping women with PCOS conceive and reduce insulin.
Myo -
inositol and melatonin have
shown to enhance, synergistically, oocyte and embryo quality and may even help improve IVF outcomes in women with PCOS by offering protection against cell damage from oxidative stress.
Since
inositols are
showing great results in women with PCOS (again, women with PCOS may have a defect in their ability to use
inositol which could explain why so many women have insulin resistance in the first place), it's being studied more and compared to metformin.
The results
showed that the combined treatment of myo
inositol and melatonin seen in Group A had an increased number of mature oocytes obtained (48.2 %) compared with group B (35.0 %) and group C (38.2 %).
Amy, there are some studies that
show inositol can result in weight loss and decreases to waist circumference but it's not recommended as a weight loss supplement.
The component in buckwheat responsible for its blood glucose - lowering effects appears to be chiro -
inositol, a compound that has been
shown in other animal and human studies to play a significant role in glucose metabolism and cell signaling.
Investigation has
shown that the specific compounds trigonelline, nicotinic acid and dchiro -
inositol that exist within the seeds are helpful in maintaining glycemic regulation due to their hypoglycemic properties.
There are many different types of
inositol, and it's the myo - and d - chiro
inositols that have
shown promised for PCOS.
Added bonus:
inositol has also been
shown to reduce anxiety and acne.
The research was overwhelmingly positive
showing the benefits of
inositol.
Inositol has been
shown to improve acne by lowering testosterone and androgens in women with PCOS.
Inositol has
shown great promise as a first - line treatment approach for women with PCOS as it can reduce insulin, improve egg quality and ovulation, and regulate periods.
Although it is not that well known,
inositol is related to the family of B vitamins, and has been
shown to help hormones such as insulin to signal more effectively.
Other research
showed a decreased risk of gestational diabetes with
inositol among women who had elevated fasting blood sugar levels during early pregnancy.
The two forms that have
shown benefit for women with PCOS are myo -
inositol and D - chiro -
inositol.
Some veterinarians recommend supplements that are
shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer for women:
Inositol hexaphosphate (IP6 derived from rice), and 1 -3-beta glucan (derived from yeast).