Lactobacillus rhamnosus has no beneficial effect on anthropometric parameters, carbohydrate metabolism and androgen status in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a twenty-week weight-reducing diet with a low glycemic index and with or without Lactobacillus rhamnosus supplementation on changes in anthropometric, metabolic, and hormonal parameters in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The subjects were assigned to one of two intervention groups: the D group (n = 21) received a weight-reduction diet with a low glycemic index, and the DP group (n = 19) received a weight-reduction diet with a low glycemic index, as well as supplementation with Lactobacillus rhamnosus. Anthropometric, metabolic, and hormonal parameters were evaluated at baseline and after twenty weeks of intervention. After twenty weeks, significant reductions in weight, body mass index, fat mass, and waist circumference were seen in both groups, but no significant differences between the groups were observed. The intervention resulted in changes in glucose assessment after two hours in oral glucose tolerance test and in insulin assessment after two hours in oral glucose tolerance test. In the D group, the testosterone level and free androgen index decreased significantly. In overweight and obese women with PCOS, probiotic supplementation taken alongside a twenty-week low-glycemic-index weight-reduction diet has no additional beneficial effects on anthropometrical parameters, carbohydrate metabolism, or androgen status, compared with the low-glycemic-index weight-reduction diet alone.