Effects of vitamin D supplementation in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a review

ABSTRACT

Increasing evidence supports the contribution of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) in metabolic disturbances among women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This review aims to assess the associations between vitamin D levels and metabolic/endocrine dysregulations and to determine the effects of vitamin D supplementation on glucose metabolism, insulin sensitivity, lipid profile, and hormones functionality in PCOS patients. We searched in PubMed human randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in English between 2016 and 2019 on the effects of vitamin D supplementation on PCOS. Nine studies were included and analyzed. Vitamin D supplementation restored physiological serum 25(OH)D levels in PCOS women in all the studies included. In six studies, it significantly decreased fasting plasma glucose and brought to improvements in insulin resistance (IR) and serum fasting insulin. In addition, four studies reported decreases of serum triglycerides, while discordant data are reported as far as LDL, HDL, and total cholesterol levels. High-doses of vitamin D (4000 IU), compared with low-dose (1000 IU), and placebo, showed beneficial effects on total testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and free androgen index (FAI). Vitamin D supplementation at high doses for a period of at least 12 weeks, may lead to improvement in terms of glucose level, insulin sensitivity, hyperlipidemia, and hormonal functionality in PCOS women.

摘要

越来越多的证据支持维生素D缺乏症（VDD）在多囊卵巢综合征（PCOS）妇女的代谢紊乱中的作用。这篇综述旨在评估维生素D水平与代谢/内分泌失调之间的关联, 并确定补充维生素D对PCOS患者的葡萄糖代谢、胰岛素敏感性、脂质分布和激素功能的影响。我们在PubMed搜索2016年至2019年间以英文发表的人类随机对照试验（RCT）中补充维生素D对PCOS的影响, 纳入并分析了九项研究, 在所有纳入的研究中, 补充维生素D可恢复PCOS妇女的生理血清25（OH）D水平。在六项研究中, 它显著降低了空腹血糖, 并改善了胰岛素抵抗（IR）和血清空腹胰岛素。此外, 有四项研究报道了血清甘油三酯的减少, 而据报道不一致的数据包括低密度脂蛋白、高密度脂蛋白和总胆固醇水平。与低剂量（1000 IU）和安慰剂相比, 高剂量的维生素D（4000 IU）对总睾丸激素, 性激素结合球蛋白（SHBG）和游离雄激素指数（FAI）显示出有益的作用。至少持续12周的高剂量维生素D补充, 可能会改善PCOS妇女的葡萄糖水平、胰岛素敏感性、高脂血症和激素功能。

The Chinese abstracts are translated by Prof. Dr. Xiangyan Ruan and her team: Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100026, China.

Keywords:

• Vitamin D
• polycystic ovary syndrome
• insulin resistance
• hyperlipidemia
• hyperandrogenism

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.