Effect of lifestyle intervention on features of polycystic ovarian syndrome, metabolic syndrome, and intima-media thickness in obese adolescent girls.

CONTEXT: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is associated with cardiovascular risk factors (CRF). Lifestyle intervention is regarded as therapy of choice even if studies in adolescent girls with PCOS are scarce.

OBJECTIVE

Our objective was to analyze the impact of lifestyle intervention on menses irregularities, hyperandrogenemia, CRF, and intima-media thickness (IMT) in adolescent girls with PCOS.

PATIENTS: Patients included 59 obese girls with PCOS aged 12-18 yr.

INTERVENTION: Intervention was a 1-yr lifestyle intervention based on nutrition education, exercise training, and behavior therapy.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Menses cycles, IMT, waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting lipids, insulin, glucose, testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, androstenedione, and SHBG were evaluated.

RESULTS

In contrast to the 33 girls without weight loss, the 26 girls reducing their body mass index during the lifestyle intervention (by a mean of -3.9 kg/m(2)) improved most CRF and decreased their IMT (by a mean of -0.01 cm). Testosterone concentrations decreased (by a mean of -0.3 nmol/liter) and SHBG concentrations increased (by a mean of +8 ng/ml) significantly in girls with weight loss in contrast to girls with increasing weight. The prevalence of amenorrhea (-42%) and oligoamenorrhea (-19%) decreased in the girls with weight loss. The changes in insulin in the 1-yr follow-up were significantly correlated to changes in testosterone (r = 0.38; P = 0.002) and SHBG (r = -0.35; P = 0.048). A linear regression model with changes in IMT as dependent variable demonstrated a significant association with changes in blood pressure and weight status but not with changes in testosterone.

CONCLUSIONS

Weight loss due to lifestyle intervention is effective to treat menses irregularities, normalize androgens, and improve CRF and IMT in obese adolescent girls with PCOS.