Effect of Zinc Supplementation on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Studies suggest that polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, hypertension, and central obesity are known as potent cardiovascular risk factors that tend to cluster in women with PCOS. This study was aimed to determine the effect of zinc supplementation on cardiometabolic risk factors in women with PCOS. Sixty subjects with polycystic ovary syndrome were randomly divided into two groups to receive 50mg/d of zinc as zinc sulphate or placebo for 8weeks, as an adjunct to their pre-study oral estrogen-progestin compounds therapy. Measurements of insulin resistance, systolic-and diastolic blood pressure, serum zinc, lipids, and androgens levels, anthropometric indices and dietary intake, were taken at baseline and after 8weeks. After 8weeks, results were obtained by comparison of the change in the Zn group to the change in the placebo group. The zn group showed a significant increase in serum zn compared to the placebo group (p<0.0001) and there was a significant reduction in homeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance score (mean change -15.3%) compared with the placebo group (mean change 0.5%, P<0.0001). Significant reductions were also seen in levels of fasting serum total cholesterol (P<0.01), LDL-C (p<0.01), triglyceride (P<0.0001), testosterone (p<0.05),and TG/HDL-C ratio (P<0.05) in the zinc group. Both groups showed insignificant changes in anthropometric indices and systolic-and diastolic blood pressure. This study demonstrates that zinc supplementation may represent an effective adjunctive nutritional therapy with the potential for improving lipid metabolism and insulin resistance in PCOS women.