Vitamin E supplementation improves metabolic, hormonal profile in women with PCOS

Regimens containing vitamin E supplements might help improve blood lipid profile and glucose control in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), reports a recent meta-analysis.

A total of 12 articles were drawn from the databases of PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, Embase, and Web of Science. Outcomes included total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), homeostasis model of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and low- (LDL) and high- (HDL) density lipoprotein cholesterol.

Pooled analysis of four studies showed that vitamin E supplementation led to a significant decrease in TC (standardized mean difference [SMD], –9.11, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], –16.14 to –2.09) and TG (SMD, –13.84, 95 percent CI, –22.36 to –5.32) levels, while not significantly affecting HDL and LDL concentrations.

Vitamin E likewise improved oestradiol levels compared with placebo (SMD, 19.56, 95 percent CI, 0.06–39.06), with no such impact on testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulins. HOMA-IR was likewise significantly improved by vitamin E supplementation (SMD, –0.51, 95 percent CI, –0.88 to –0.13), an effect that failed to achieve significance for fasting blood sugar and insulin levels. There were also no significant impacts on oxidation indices.

“We found that supplementary regimens containing vitamin E can positively affect the patients who are diagnosed with PCOS in regards to metabolic and hormonal parameters,” the researchers said.

“More studies are needed in order to evaluate the effects of vitamin E supplementation in different ethnicities and age groups,” they added, noting that research in vitamin E-sufficient and -deficient populations would also help to better elucidate the role of vitamin E supplementation in PCOS.