PCOS & Inflammation
As someone living with PCOS, it's essential to be aware of the symptoms that may indicate inflammation. Inflammation is a natural response of the body to injury or infection, but chronic inflammation can be harmful to our health, especially for those with PCOS. Some of the common symptoms of inflammation in those with PCOS include:
Period pain
Headaches
Acne and other skin issues
Hair loss
Puffiness in the face
Autoimmune diseases
Managing inflammation with PCOS can be challenging, but the good news is that there are steps we can take to reduce its impact on PCOS symptoms.
Unfortunately, many women assume that managing inflammation is just about cutting out inflammatory foods. However, the truth is Inflammatory foods are one of many root drives of chronic inflammation with PCOS. It can be tempting to focus all your energy on eliminating foods, and although this can be a place to start, I find that the women I work with really see progress accelerate when they shift their focus away from what they "shouldn't" and have toward strategies that SUPPORT their bodies and GIVE it what it needs. In fact, as much as we would like to eliminate all drivers of inflammation, it just wouldn't be possible. That is why a more sustainable approach to reducing inflammation is to help your body build resilience toward inflammatory triggers.
5 Strategies to lower inflammation with PCOS
Here are 5 strategies that focus on supporting the body’s immune system to lower inflammation.
#1: Nourish a healthy gut
Did you know that the majority of your immune system resides in your gut? In fact, your gut is your first line of defense that protects you against infections and unfriendly invaders in food and in your environment. When the body struggles to adequately defend itself from these intruders, this is when we see a chronic inflammatory response leading to the inflammatory symptoms mentioned above. That is why supporting a healthy gut is essential to strengthening your immune system and lowering your inflammatory response. We do this by feeding the friendly gut bacteria through the foods we eat while lowering consumption of foods that feed the unfriendly gut bugs. The friendly gut bugs LOVE prebiotic-rich foods like garlic, onions, and artichokes while the unfriendly gut bugs feed off refined carbohydrates and sugars. The more you can feed the good guys, the better your immune system will be set up to protect you and lower inflammation.
#2: Lower stress
Stress has a direct impact on your inflammatory response. Acute stress can actually be anti-inflammatory. This is because the body temporarily decreases the immune response to prevent sickness. This makes sense because you don’t want to be lying on the ground with a cough when you’re trying to run from a tiger! However, in our modern world, the “tiger” comes in the form of constant exposure to screens, work deadlines, anxiety with food, and poor body image. These stressors if not addressed can eventually leave the body in a chronically stressed state. The temporary decrease in immune response then evolves into chronic immune suppression which blunts the body’s ability to fight infection, leading to a chronically inflamed state.
There is no way to avoid all stress, and learning how to set aside time to recalibrate and regulate your body’s stress response will be key to lowering inflammation in the body.
#3: Support natural detox pathways
Unfortunately, the word “detox” has been minimized to extreme juice cleanses and overpriced tea bags. In reality, our bodies have incredible natural detox pathways through our liver, kidneys, and gut. Their job is to properly process and remove harmful compounds from the body and to do their job well, they require essential nutrients like vitamin C, choline, magnesium, and B vitamins. So if your detox organs aren’t getting the resources they need to function optimally, unwanted compounds end up hanging around, burdening the liver, kidneys, and gut and driving up inflammation.
#4: Get 7-9 hours of sleep/per night
Sleep is paramount to regulating your immune system and lowering inflammation. When you’re sleeping, your body is hard at work repairing tissues, removing toxins, and restoring optimal cognitive function. Without proper sleep, the body doesn’t get the opportunity to carry out these essential functions.
Poor sleep also dyregulates appetite and drives up insulin resistance, which makes it all the more difficult to reach for foods that are nourishing to your body and supportive of reducing inflammation. By prioritizing 7-9 hours of quality sleep, we can set ourselves up to navigate food and life stressors with greater ease.
#5: Incorporate quality, whole foods in your diet
The better nourished the body is, the less symptoms it will experience when faced with inevitable inflammation in our modern society. By simply increasing the consumption of fruits, a variety of vegetables, and quality proteins, you’re providing your body with a plethora of antioxidants, anti-inflammatory vitamins and minerals, and a spectrum of phytonutrients that protect the body from inflammatory factors. I recommend aiming for 8-10 servings of a variety of plant foods a day. This can look like:
2 servings of leafy greens (kale, spinach, collard greens)
4 servings of other non-starchy vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers)
2 servings of fruit (bananas, citrus, mangoes, etc.)
2 servings of starchy vegetables (potatoes, beets, butternut squash)
Healing foods to lower inflammation with PCOS
In addition to these foundational strategies to reduce inflammation with PCOS, here are my top favorite foods with help lower inflammation with PCOS:
Ginger: Ginger has been used for centuries as a natural remedy for a variety of ailments, and for good reason! One of the most potent anti-inflammatory compounds in ginger is called gingerol. This compound has been shown to help reduce the production of inflammatory cytokines.
Turmeric: Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric is one of the most well-studied compounds for reducing inflammation. In fact, its benefits are so powerful that it has been compared to taking 120omg of ibuprofen daily.
Salmon: Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, and sardines are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which can help lower inflammation in the body. Other foods that are high in omega-3s include avocado, flax seeds, and walnuts.
Citrus: These fruits are rich in vitamin C and other antioxidants, all of which optimize liver function, boost the immune system, and support skin health.
Fermented foods: Fermented foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut, and kefir are rich in probiotics, which are beneficial bacteria that live in our gut. These bacteria play a critical role in our immune system and can help reduce inflammation in the body.
Leafy greens: Leafy greens such as spinach, kale, and collard greens are packed with vitamins and minerals, as well as anti-inflammatory compounds. Their high fiber content also helps bind to inflammatory properties in order to properly eliminate them through the gut.
