Research

Hormonal

Higher adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD) is significantly associated with lower testosterone levels and reduced clinical severity (hirsutism) in women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).

For women with PCOS, simply counting calories may not be enough to manage hormonal symptoms like high testosterone or hirsutism. Prioritizing a Mediterranean-style diet—rich in fiber, healthy fats (olive oil, nuts, fish), and complex carbohydrates—is associated with significantly lower testosterone levels and reduced clinical severity, independent of total calorie intake.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
testosterone levels showed significant negative correlations with PREDIMED score (p < 0.001)... The PCOS women with a low adherence to the MD presented higher... testosterone levels... and Ferriman-Gallwey score... than the average and high adherers to the MD (p < 0.001, respectively).
Luigi Barrea et al. · Nutrients · 2019

Why this rating

Cross-sectional observational study; establishes association but not causation.

Source

Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet, Dietary Patterns and Body Composition in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

Luigi Barrea et al. · Nutrients · 2019

DOI 10.3390/nu11102278

cross_sectional · n=224Cited 297×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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