The evaluation of the relationship between some related hormone levels and diet in obese or overweight patients with hirsutism: A randomized clinical trial

INTRODUCTION: Hirsutism is a common disorder that has remarkable physical and mental effects on individuals. No appropriate diet has yet specified for individuals with hirsutism. The present study was carried out to examine the effect of high-fibre, low-caloric balanced diet on some related hormone levels in obese or overweight women with hirsutism who had referred to clinics affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study was a clinical trial that was carried out on 47 obese or overweight women with hirsutism in 2014. The women were randomly assigned to an intervention group and a control group that, respectively, consumed a high-fiber, low-caloric balanced diet and a normal diet for 3 months. A demographic characteristics questionnaire and a researcher-designed diet questionnaire were filled out by the two groups before the intervention. Before and 12 weeks after the intervention, body mass index (BMI) was measured and blood samples (on the 3–5 days of menstruation) were collected. Factors of luteinizing hormone, follice stimulating hormone, sex hormone binding globulin, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, low-density lipoproteins, high-density lipoproteins (HDL), fasting blood sugar (FBS), CHOL, prolactin, triglycerides, insulin, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, and free androstenedione testosterone were measured. The collected data were analyzed through t-test, Chi-square, and intergroup analysis using SPSS 22.0. RESULTS: The mean age of the participating women was 27.23 ± 5.42 years. After the study, the level of FBS and insulin in the intervention group dropped while they increased in the control group. Moreover, the postintervention level of BMI in the intervention group on average decreased 1.89 units while it rose by 0.3 units in the control group, and there was a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The results of the present study showed that consuming high-fiber diet by obese or overweight women with hirsutism and polycystic ovary can reduce some factors including the level of FBS, insulin, and cholesterol and enhance blood HDL. Therefore, consuming this type of diet is recommended to treat this disorder.