The Effects of Gluten and Dairy in PCOS

Before I jump right in and discuss what happens to the body both internally and externally. Let me just brief those of you who don't fully know what PCOS is.

PCOS is a genetic autoimmune disease and the symptoms are due to elevated androgens (male hormones) in women. Signs and symptoms of PCOS include irregular or no menstrual periods, heavy periods, excess body and facial hair, acne, pelvic pain, difficulty getting pregnant, and patches of thick, darker, velvety skin. Associated conditions include type 2 diabetes, obesity, obstructive sleep apnea, heart disease, mood disorders, and endometrial cancer.

~How does Gluten affect PCOS? Gluten is a hormone disruptor. Hormone disruptors are chemicals that interfere with the functioning of the endocrine or hormone system. Essentially hormone distributors mimic our hormones, causing our bodies to over or under respond or release hormones at the wrong time. In the case of gluten, wheat crops are sprayed with pesticides that are xenoestrogens (a xenohormone (a false hormone) that imitates estrogen.) These substances mimic the role of estrogen in our bodies and make us even more estrogen dominant. With PCOS, our hormones are so out of balance that its hard enough to manage and balance your own hormones. Therefore you don't want to add anything else to your system that is going to cause further imbalance and worsen your symptoms. Gluten sensitivity causes chronic inflammation throughout the body, leading to increased risk of heart disease. The other problem is that women with PCOS suffer from chronic inflammation already therefore eating gluten will only worsen the problem. Chronic Inflammation affects both and internally externally. Fatigue, sleep apnea, bloating, hives, mood swings, weight gain, weight loss and cravings are all symptoms of chronic inflammation. There is also one other link in the chain we need to understand: chronic inflammation leads to insulin resistance. If we have insulin resistance, we need higher than normal amounts of insulin to regulate our blood sugars. High insulin levels are also going to cause high testosterone levels which will make our PCOS symptoms much worse.

~So what is Gluten? Gluten is the GLUE that holds cakes, bread's and pasta's etc together. Gluten occurs in wheat species such as spelt, Khorasan, emmer, einkorn, triticale, barley, rye, and oats. Be sure to read the ingredients label on the back of products. ~How does Dairy affect PCOS? The main problem with dairy is that contains a chemical called Insulin-Growth Factor 1 or IGF-1, which basically mimics insulin in the body and encourages our body to store fat and will raise our testosterone levels. IGF-1 is a hormone that is present in all forms of milk, from human breast milk to goat’s milk and yes even lactose-free milk as it still contains IGF-1. Although IGF-1 is present in other forms of animal protein, it doesn’t seem to have as much impact as dairy does on our IGF-1 levels.IGF-1 in PCOS causes your ovaries to release too much testosterone – something that we Cysters really need to avoid.

~What about calcium and keeping my bones strong? Now, I know that you’ve been told that you need dairy to keep your bones strong. Well, it’s just not true. There has been a lot of research on this and the research has shown that dairy does not strengthen bones. Calcium is an important factor is bone growth and strength but there are a lot of dietary sources of calcium apart from milk. For example, sardines, dark leafy greens like spinach, kale, turnips, and collard greens, fortified orange juice and soybeans all have high sources of calcium. Also, you have to have Vitamin D for Calcium to be absorbed by the body. But, up to 80% of women with PCOS have a Vitamin D deficiency. Therefore I strongly recommend supplementation. Taking a supplement will make sure you’re getting enough Vitamin D so that you can absorb your Calcium. And lastly, exercise is the most effective way to increase bone density and prevent osteoporosis. So, ditch the dairy and get exercising!! (DROP AND GIVE ME 20!!!) Thank you for reading. Please leave any comments or questions below and like and share my blog with friends and family . -Angelina Xx:)