Effects of ketogenic diet on weight loss parameters among obese or overweight patients with polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trails

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate how effective a low carbohydrate ketogenic diet (KD) is for changing key physical measure-ments such as weight, waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), and fat mass (FM) in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) who were obese or overweight. Methods: Several online databases, including PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science (WOS), were searched systematically to find relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) up until June 2023. The Q-test and I2 statistics were used to assess the level of heterogeneity among the included stud-ies. The data were then combined using either a fixed or random effects model and presented as a weighted mean difference (WMD) along with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: Of the 682 citations, 11 RCTs were included. The pooled results showed a significant decrease in the WMD of weight levels [WMD = −9.13 kg; 95% CI, −11.88, −6.39, P < 0.001; I2 = 87.23%] following KD. Moreover, KD significantly reduced BMI levels [WMD = −2.93 kg/m2; 95% CI, −3.65, −2.21, P < 0.001; I2 = 78.81%] compared to the controls. Patients with PCOS received KD demonstrated significant decrease in WC [WMD = −7.62 cm; 95% CI, −10.73, −4.50, P < 0.001; I2 = 89.17%] and FM [WMD = −5.32 kg; 95% CI, −7.29, −3.36, P < 0.001; I2 = 83.97%]. Conclusion: KD was associated with lower weight loss (WL) parameters, including weight, BMI, WC, and FM, in obese or overweight women with PCOS, highlighting the significance of physicians and nurses in tak-ing care of the nutritional needs of overweight/obese patients with PCOS.