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Polycystic ovary syndrome: an evolutionary adaptation to lifestyle and the environment

Citation

Parker, J and O'Brian, C and Hawrelak, J and Gersh, FL, Polycystic ovary syndrome: an evolutionary adaptation to lifestyle and the environment, International journal of environmental research and public health, 19, (3) Article 1336. ISSN 1660-4601 (2022) [Refereed Article]


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© 2022. The Authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License, (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.

DOI: doi:10.3390/ijerph19031336

Abstract

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is increasingly recognized as a complex metabolic disorder that manifests in genetically susceptible women following a range of negative exposures to nutritional and environmental factors related to contemporary lifestyle. The hypothesis that PCOS phenotypes are derived from a mismatch between ancient genetic survival mechanisms and modern lifestyle practices is supported by a diversity of research findings. The proposed evolutionary model of the pathogenesis of PCOS incorporates evidence related to evolutionary theory, genetic studies, in utero developmental epigenetic programming, transgenerational inheritance, metabolic features including insulin resistance, obesity and the apparent paradox of lean phenotypes, reproductive effects and subfertility, the impact of the microbiome and dysbiosis, endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure, and the influence of lifestyle factors such as poor-quality diet and physical inactivity. Based on these premises, the diverse lines of research are synthesized into a composite evolutionary model of the pathogenesis of PCOS. It is hoped that this model will assist clinicians and patients to understand the importance of lifestyle interventions in the prevention and management of PCOS and provide a conceptual framework for future research. It is appreciated that this theory represents a synthesis of the current evidence and that it is expected to evolve and change over time.

Item Details

Item Type:Refereed Article
Keywords:gastrointestinal microbiota; dysbiosis; polycystic ovary syndrome
Research Division:Biomedical and Clinical Sciences
Research Group:Nutrition and dietetics
Research Field:Clinical nutrition
Objective Division:Health
Objective Group:Clinical health
Objective Field:Treatment of human diseases and conditions
UTAS Author:Hawrelak, J (Dr Jason Hawrelak)
ID Code:153524
Year Published:2022
Web of Science® Times Cited:11
Deposited By:Pharmacy
Deposited On:2022-09-21
Last Modified:2022-10-18
Downloads:3 View Download Statistics

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