Magnesium supplementation improves metabolic status in women with PCOS

The study, published in Biological Trace Element Research, revealed that magnesium supplements in women with PCOS significantly improve their metabolic status by modulating the lipid profile level and improving insulin resistance regardless of the disease aetiology or progression.

Polycystic ovary syndrome occurs by abnormal production of androgens by the ovaries. Androgens are male sex hormones usually present in women in small amounts. PCOS describes the formation of small cysts (fluid-filled sacs) in the ovaries. However, some women with PCOS do not have cysts, while others without the disorder develop cysts. There is no clarity on the exact cause of PCOS. Many women with PCOS have insulin resistance, implying their bodies can't use insulin well. Insulin levels build up in the body, leading to higher androgen levels.

Magnesium supplements are assumed to improve lipid profiles, insulin resistance, and glucose due to their definitive known effect on insulin resistance and the fact that insulin resistance is a primary aetiology in PCOS. Thus, magnesium may also play a role in improving the clinical condition of patients with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Therefore, Shabnam Shahmoradi, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran, and colleagues aimed to evaluate the effect of magnesium supplements on clinical, anthropometric, and metabolic parameters in women with PCOS.

The study involved 40 women aged 15–35 years with PCOS. The patients were assigned a magnesium oxide supplement (250 mg/day for two months; n=20) or a placebo (n=20). The study parameters were assessed and compared between two groups before and after 2 and 5 months of the initial assessment.

The authors reported the following findings:

• A significant reduction in the serum insulin level and insulin resistance was observed in the case group.
• Prescribing magnesium supplements could also lower total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, fasting blood sugar, and increasing high-density lipoprotein.
• No significant difference between the two groups was found in anthropometric parameters and the mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures before and after the intervention.
• Although the rate of oligomenorrhea significantly decreased in the two study groups, it was no different across the two groups before and after the intervention.

"Our findings show that magnesium supplements in patients with PCOS, irrespective of the progression or aetiology of the disease, can greatly improve the metabolic status of these patients by modulating the lipid profile level and improving insulin resistance," the researchers concluded.

Reference:

Shahmoradi, S., Chiti, H., Tavakolizadeh, M. et al. The Effect of Magnesium Supplementation on Insulin Resistance and Metabolic Profiles in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: a Randomized Clinical Trial. Biol Trace Elem Res (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-023-03744-7