“Effect of Myoinositol in Lipid Profile and Insulin Resistance in PCOS Patients.”

Abstract

Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder associated with insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia, and increased cardiovascular risk. Myoinositol, an insulin-sensitizing agent, has shown promise in managing PCOS-related metabolic disturbances, but its effects on lipid profiles and insulin resistance across diverse PCOS phenotypes require further exploration.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of myoinositol supplementation on lipid profiles, insulin resistance, fasting blood sugar, body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and blood pressure in women with PCOS.

Methods: A prospective interventional study was conducted on 73 young women (mean age 21.15 ± 3.32 years) diagnosed with PCOS based on Rotterdam 2003 criteria. Participants received myoinositol supplementation for three months. Baseline and post-treatment assessments included fasting blood sugar, lipid profiles (triglycerides, cholesterol, HDL, LDL, VLDL), fasting insulin, HOMA index, BMI, WHR, and blood pressure. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics (Version 29), with paired t-tests and Mann-Whitney U tests for continuous variables and chi-square tests for categorical variables.

Results: Myoinositol significantly reduced LDL cholesterol (110.82 ± 27.36 to 98.31 ± 21.32 mg/dl, p=0.0423), increased HDL cholesterol (39.06 ± 7.61 to 42.83 ± 7.66 mg/dl, p=0.0491), decreased BMI (26.04 ± 1.86 to 24.26 ± 0.15, p<0.0001), and lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressure (p<0.0001). Trends toward improvement were observed in fasting insulin (14.81 ± 5.86 to 13.5 ± 4.98 µU/ml, p=0.3315), HOMA index (2.23 ± 0.78 to 2.0 ± 0.78, p=0.2354), triglycerides (134.46 ± 39.77 to 128.01 ± 31.75 mg/dl, p=0.4692), and VLDL (39.22 ± 17.07 to 33.98 ± 20.96 mg/dl, p=0.2696), though these were not statistically significant. No significant changes were noted in fasting blood sugar (p=0.4444) or total cholesterol (p<0.0001, slight increase).

Conclusion: Myoinositol significantly improves lipid profiles, BMI, and blood pressure in PCOS patients, particularly those with moderate insulin resistance, supporting its role as a safe, non-pharmacological adjunct therapy. However, its impact on glucose homeostasis and insulin resistance appears modest in this cohort. Further randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm these findings and optimize therapeutic strategies for PCOS management.