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The Nutritional Intervention Improves the Metabolic Profile of Overweight and Obese PCOS Along with the Differences in Gut Microbiota

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Abstract

Previous studies had shown that the gut microbiota of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients had significant differences from those of healthy individuals, which may play an important role in the pathogenesis of PCOS. Lifestyle intervention, such as nutritional intervention, could improve the metabolic profiles and PCOS-like phenotypes of PCOS patients. Meanwhile, nutritional intervention could rapidly alter and reshape the distribution of gut microbiota in individuals. Therefore, we sought to investigate the differences in gut microbiota in overweight and obese PCOS patients with or without nutritional intervention. Thirty-six overweight and obese PCOS patients were finally enrolled in the study. Eighteen individuals who refused nutritional intervention (RNI) were collected as the RNI group. Eighteen individuals who received the nutritional intervention were collected as the pre-NI group before the nutritional intervention. And they were also collected as the NI group after the nutritional intervention for 4–12 weeks. Significant decreases in BMI, FBG, TC, TG, APO A1, and APO B were observed when comparing the NI group with the pre-NI and RNI groups after the nutritional intervention for 4–12 weeks. Meanwhile, the differences in the phylum Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and the species Eubacterium rectale, Flavonifractor plautii, and Bacteroides vulgatus between the NI and the RNI groups were observed, which may be potentially linked to the improved inflammatory state and PCOS-like phenotypes of overweight and obese PCOS individuals.

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Acknowledgements

We appreciate the contributions of all participants in this study.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2021YFC2700700), Research Unit of Gametogenesis and Health of ART-Offspring, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2020RU001), Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province of China (ZR2020MH065), and Taishan Scholars Program for Young Experts of Shandong Province (tsqn201909195), Shandong Provincial Key Research and Development Program (2020ZLYS02).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Reproductive Medicine, The Second Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China

    Linlin Fu, Yexing Li, Yuehong Bian, Qiumin Wang, Jingyu Li, Ying Wang & Linlin Cui

  2. Center for Reproductive Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China

    Linlin Fu, Yexing Li, Yuehong Bian, Qiumin Wang, Jingyu Li, Ying Wang, Tiantian Zhang, Xiaoyan Zou, Linlin Cui & Zijiang Chen

  3. Key Laboratory of Reproductive Endocrinology of Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China

    Linlin Fu, Yexing Li, Yuehong Bian, Qiumin Wang, Jingyu Li, Ying Wang, Tiantian Zhang, Xiaoyan Zou, Linlin Cui & Zijiang Chen

  4. Shandong Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China

    Linlin Fu, Yexing Li, Yuehong Bian, Qiumin Wang, Jingyu Li, Ying Wang, Tiantian Zhang, Xiaoyan Zou, Linlin Cui & Zijiang Chen

  5. Shandong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Reproductive Health, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China

    Linlin Fu, Yexing Li, Yuehong Bian, Qiumin Wang, Jingyu Li, Ying Wang, Tiantian Zhang, Xiaoyan Zou, Linlin Cui & Zijiang Chen

  6. Shandong Technology Innovation Center for Reproductive Health, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China

    Linlin Fu, Yexing Li, Yuehong Bian, Qiumin Wang, Jingyu Li, Ying Wang, Tiantian Zhang, Xiaoyan Zou, Linlin Cui & Zijiang Chen

  7. National Research Center for Assisted Reproductive Technology and Reproductive Genetics, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China

    Linlin Fu, Yexing Li, Yuehong Bian, Qiumin Wang, Jingyu Li, Ying Wang, Tiantian Zhang, Xiaoyan Zou, Linlin Cui & Zijiang Chen

  8. Shanghai Key Laboratory for Assisted Reproduction and Reproductive Genetics, Shanghai, 200135, China

    Zijiang Chen

  9. Center for Reproductive Medicine, School of Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200135, China

    Zijiang Chen

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  1. Linlin Fu
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Contributions

Conceptualization and formal analysis: LF, YL, and LC; method: YB, QW, and JL; data curation: LF, YL, and JL; sample collection: LF, TZ, XZ, and YB; funding acquisition: LC and ZC; LF was a major contributor in writing the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Linlin Cui.

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Fu, L., Li, Y., Bian, Y. et al. The Nutritional Intervention Improves the Metabolic Profile of Overweight and Obese PCOS Along with the Differences in Gut Microbiota. Reprod. Sci. 30, 2210–2218 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-022-01131-6

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