PCOS and Diabetes: How Are They Connected?
With the advent of technology, the lifestyle of people has fast changed. Everything has become automated and mechanized making people’s lives much easier but more sedentary than ever. This has also given rise to many challenges for young and middle-aged adults as they face more and more health risks due to their lifestyle and modern diet.
PCOS and Diabetes are some of the most commonly heard disorders that dominate the crowd these days. Both these disorders need proper medical care so as to resume normal functionality. Ayurvedic medicine for diabetes is another option when compared to Allopathy, to treat and control diabetes in individuals.
What is PCOS? How is it connected to Diabetes?
PCOS expands to PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome where a female ovary is noticed to have multiple small cysts which can cause several hormonal and physical changes. These cysts are formed due to the excess production of the male hormone Androgen, which prevents normal menstruation in women and brings about many other physiological changes in the body.
PCOS can also be detected with the occurrence of multiple follicles in the ovary, suggesting that the hormonal balance is off in the woman’s body. PCOS is a very common problem in young teenage girls and adults and is mainly caused due to poor lifestyle habits.
A poor imbalanced diet, lack of exercise, sedentary lifestyle, and being overweight can all trigger hormonal changes which can cause disorders such as PCOS. Both PCOS and Diabetes can be effectively managed with lifestyle changes and the use of medicine, either Allopathy or Ayurvedic medicine for Diabetes.
PCOS is directly also linked to Diabetes as numerous studies that are conducted on women who have a history of PCOS also developed diabetes later in life. This is usually triggered because the reasons that cause PCOS are similar to the ones that cause diabetes, which are poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, and a lack of physical exercise causing weight gain and insulin resistance.
Insulin Resistance in PCOS and Diabetes
Insulin is the hormone responsible to control and manage the blood sugar levels in the blood. Insulin is produced by beta cells found in the pancreas, which release these hormones upon consumption of food, to effectively metabolize glucose in the body. Insulin resistance is the main reason cause of diabetes but is also a secondary cause of PCOS in women. Insulin resistance is triggered by the following reasons:
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Hormonal Imbalance in the body
Some people tend to have a hormonal imbalance with no specific reason and this may be a reason to have insulin resistance in the body.
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Autoimmune Disorder
Patients suffering from Type 1 diabetes have some kind of autoimmune disorder where the immunity of the patient’s body attacks the beta cells causing the body to not have any insulin at all.
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Poor Diet and Lifestyle
Junk food, a sedentary lifestyle are all major factors in developing insulin resistance leading to both PCOS and diabetes.
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Lack of Physical activity
Exercise helps bring the body weight down and effectively utilizes insulin.
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Excess intake of Processed/sugary food
Excess sugar intake or processed food can create a gap between the supply and demand of insulin, which can lead to PCOS and diabetes.
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Excessive weight
Being overweight demands more insulin to digest and metabolize sugar which can cause insulin resistance, which can lead to PCOS and diabetes.
These are some of the ways PCOS and diabetes can be linked in women.
