A question I get asked often is which supplements can help with PCOS symptoms or lower insulin levels. My philosophy is a food first approach. I firmly believe that you cannot out supplement a bad diet. However, there are times when supplements can help. For PCOS-related symptoms, I am a big fan of berberine (see my Stories for the berberine blog link). In randomized trials, head-to-head, looking at berberine versus metformin, berberine outperforms metformin on several levels. Other things include inositol. This is a B vitamin that is incredibly effective. There was an article in the NEJM looking at PCOS and D-chiro-inositol that was published back when I was in medical school but yet no-one ever talked about using B vitamins or inositol to help with PCOS symptoms.

➡️Dr. Amy Shah asked me if berberine can be used in situations of high insulin levels in general? Does it have some of the same benefits? Based on my own experience and on that of my patients in the clinic, there is no one magic formula that makes a difference when it comes to insulin resistance and elevated insulin. To combat insulin resistance or insulin block as I usually describe it, you need to tackle it from multiple directions. With the way that you eat and when, which would include adding on intermittent fasting. Different nutraceuticals help as described above. I would say berberine is just one of many. It is associated with weight loss in randomized trials. It's associated with insulin sensitivities but then so is fish oil and chromium, so is lipoic acid. As you can see, there are lots of different ways that we can work on the insulin signal and berberine is just one of several.
-------------------------------
#PCOS #berberine #insulin
-------------------------------
Hi, I'm Sara Gottfried MD! I practice precision, functional, and integrative medicine. What does that mean? I look at the genetics, environment, and lifestyle of an individual and together we design ways to optimize health, function, and performance. It's not one-size-fits-all but a way to personalize your nutrition, sleep, stress levels, inflammation, detoxification, and hormone balance. I take care of all types of people from conscious leaders to professional athletes, and everyone in between. We use any means at our disposal from genomic pathway testing to VO2 max, from clinical labs to next-gen biomarkers like continuous glucose monitoring and other digital biomarkers, from bioidentical hormones to peptides. My goal is to help people live life fully, on their own terms, and buoyed by the best possible healthspan.

Buy my books:

📗THE HORMONE CURE: Reclaim Balance, Sleep and Sex Drive; Lose Weight; Feel Focused, Vital, and Energized Naturally with the Gottfried Protocol http://bit.ly/HORMONECURE
📕THE HORMONE RESET DIET: Heal Your Metabolism to Lose Up to 15 Pounds in 21 Days http://bit.ly/HORMONERESET
📘YOUNGER: A Breakthrough Program to Reset Your Genes, Reverse Aging, and Turn Back the Clock 10 Years http://bit.ly/YOUNGERBOOK
📙BRAIN BODY DIET: 40 Days to a Lean, Calm, Energized, and Happy Self http://bit.ly/BRAINBODYDIET
📒WOMEN FOOD AND HORMONES: A 4-Week Plan to Achieve Hormonal Balance, Lose Weight, and Feel Like Yourself Again
https://bit.ly/DrGottfried_WomenFoodH...

👉Follow Dr. Sara on social media:

FB   / drgottfried  
IG   / saragottfriedmd  
TW   / drgottfried  
Pinterest   / drgottfried  

For the latest blogs and articles head to
🔗Website https://bit.ly/SaraGottfriedMD