Dietary Total Antioxidant Capacity and Risk of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Case-Control Study

Int J Fertil Steril. 2022 Aug 21;16(3):200-205. doi: 10.22074/ijfs.2021.526579.1107.

Abstract

Among multiple factors that affect the etiology of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), diet has<br />an important contribution. Chronic oxidative stress has also been implicated in the development of PCOS. The<br />present study is an attempt to evaluate dietary total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and its relationship with odds of<br />PCOS in Iran.<br />Materials and Methods: The study was carried out as a case-control study in hospital outpatient clinics, Tehran,<br />Iran. Totally, 310 female participants with a history of PCOS and 602 age-matched controls took part in this<br />study between June 2015 and December 2018. A reproducible and valid 168-item semi-quantitative food frequency<br />inventory was utilized to determine the entire antioxidants of the usual diet in order to calculate dietary<br />TAC. The relationship of dietary TAC with odds of PCOS were assessed adjusting for potential confounders<br />through an estimation of two multivariable conditional regression models. The first tertile was presented as a<br />reference category.<br />Results: In a fully adjusted model, the highest tertile of dietary TAC was associated with a reduced odds of<br />PCOS [odds ratio (OR): 0.81, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.59, 0.96, P for trend: 0.038). In addition, PCOS odds decreased in the highest tertile of α-tocopherol intake (OR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.56, 0.88, P for trend:<br />0.023). The adjusted ORs in the highest tertile of vitamin C, β-carotene and magnesium were 0.79 (95% CI: 0.83-0.97), 0.81 (95% CI: 0.67-0.98) and 0.91 (95% CI: 0.55-0.9 8) respectively, with a significant trend.<br />Conclusion: Our results provide evidence that there was a relationship between high TAC diets and lower odds of<br />PCOS.

Keywords: Antioxidant; Diet; Oxidative stress; Polycystic ovarian syndrome.