Sugar, PCOS and Weight Gain

PCOS is a chronic health problem that plagues many women world wide.  It's been estimated that about 10% of women have PCOS, and this condition can leave them likely to gain weight easily and have a hard time reaching and maintaining a healthy weight range.

Sugar is a key factor in PCOS symptoms, especially weight gain and infertility.  For a woman who has PCOS to be successful in managing her PCOS symptoms, she must deeply understand what "sugar" really means for her health.

Researchers at UCSF consider sugar to be a danger to health.  Click this link to read more about their findings.   UCSF Scientists Take Bitter View of Sugar in Food

Eating sugary foods affects PCOS symptoms and worsens these symptoms, out of proportion to the amount of sugar eaten.  For these women, one of the biggest frustrations is eating what seems like a reasonable amount of sugar only to see weight creep up, and at the same time, find that exercise doesn't lead to weight loss or even weight control for some women.

Research and clinical experience have clearly shown that keeping blood sugar as even as possible makes a big difference in controlling and reversing the symptoms of PCOS.  Two key PCOS symptoms, problems with weight loss and problems with fertility, are strongly affected by the amount of sugar a woman eats.

Read labels for prepared foods so you know what the carbohydrate content is in what you eat.  Even if it is a really familiar food, read the label any way, as processed food manufacturers and food processors change ingredients and formulations from time to time. 

Simplest ways to control sugar in food are to choose foods with no added sugar, and to have vegetables and other high fiber content foods with each meal.  By eating foods that are fresh and have no added sugar, you can easily control your sugar intake.  By eating vegetables with each meal, the natural fiber found in vegetables helps you to keep your blood sugar levels even.  When you avoid the blood sugar spike (and insulin rocket ride to chase the blood sugar rise), your blood sugar levels stay much more even and your body doesn't get a signal to gain weight from the extra sugar calories. 

Keeping blood sugar levels even also affects fertility, as research shows that higher levels of blood sugar lead to lower levels of conception.  A key blood test, called HgA1C (Hemoglobin A1C), helps to determine the long term impact and level of blood sugar control.  Ideally, the HgA1C blood marker is below 6.0 .  For women who experience infertility and other difficulties with conception, it is important that they be really clear that added sugar in food can be an important factor that keeps them from being able to have a baby. Simple, specific dietary changes can go a long way in bringing relief from PCOS.