The Study
The Association of Serum Levels of Leptin and Ghrelin with the Dietary Fat Content in Non-Obese Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
This study looked at what women ate and measured their hunger and fullness hormones, and found that when they ate more fat, their hormone levels changed in a certain way. But it didn't change what they ate to see if that caused the change — so we don't know if the food made the hormones change, or if the hormones made them choose more fat.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
This study looked at what women with PCOS ate and how their hunger and fullness hormones reacted. It found that when they ate more fat, their fullness hormone (leptin) went up and their hunger hormone (ghrelin) went down — but only in women with PCOS, not in healthy women.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 544 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1These hormone shifts suggest high-fat diets may disrupt appetite control and worsen metabolic health in PCOS women — even if they’re not overweight.
- 2In PCOS women: eating more fat linked to 36% higher leptin (r=0.36), 37% lower ghrelin (r=-0.37), and 50% higher insulin resistance (r=0.5).
- 3Saturated fat linked to 51% lower SHBG (r=-0.51).
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Nutrients
Year
2020
Authors
A. Polak, Anna Krentowska, Agnieszka Łebkowska, Angelika Buczyńska, M. Adamski, Edyta Adamska-Patruno, Joanna Fiedorczuk, A. Krętowski, I. Kowalska, A. Adamska
Related Content
Claims (4)
In non-obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome, higher consumption of certain dietary fats is linked to higher levels of the hormone leptin and lower levels of the hormone ghrelin.
In non-obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome, higher insulin resistance is linked to higher levels of leptin and lower levels of ghrelin in the blood.
In women with polycystic ovary syndrome who are not obese, consuming more dietary fat is linked to higher levels of insulin resistance, but this link is not seen in women without the condition.
Higher consumption of dietary fat increases leptin signaling, resulting in lower food intake due to greater feelings of fullness.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.