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Do PCOS Women Store Fat Differently?
Yes, they do. An April 2007 study confirms that women with PCOS store their fat differently than women who are overweight but who do not have the condition. (1)
PCOS patients tend to store their weight in the middle of their abdomen, not in the lower abdomen. The place where the excess fat is stored is a predictor of how a woman is responding to her insulin.
The new report confirms that women who store their fat in the middle of their abdomen have more insulin (which signals more fat storage) and respond less well to the insulin that they are producing.
To stop this vicious cycle, we know that women with PCOS need to curtail their requirements for insulin by reducing carbohydrate intake. By improving response to insulin, less insulin is produced and women can begin to shed weight.
Weight loss is important for many reasons for women with PCOS. But this study confirms that losing weight in the central abdominal area decreases the likelihood of being Insulin Resistant and improves the likelihood of being able to reverse PCOS. (1) Carmina E, Bucchieri S, Esposito A, Del Puente A, Mansueto P, Orio F, Di Fede G, Rini G., Abdominal Fat Quantity and Distribution in women with PCOS and the Extent of of Its Relation to Insulin Resistance.J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007 Apr 3, PMID: 17405838
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