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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Nutr.

Sec. Nutrition and Metabolism

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1705284

This article is part of the Research TopicNutritional Pathways in Metabolic and Reproductive HealthView all articles

Efficacy of Dietary Supplements as an Adjunctive Therapy for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: An umbrella meta-analysis

Provisionally accepted
Rutong  WangRutong Wang1Kongwei  HuangKongwei Huang1Mengyao  WangMengyao Wang1Wenhui  ZouWenhui Zou1Yujun  HuangYujun Huang1Wei  JiangWei Jiang1Yingqi  FengYingqi Feng1Huilong  ShenHuilong Shen2*Xiaocan  LeiXiaocan Lei1*
  • 1Hengyang Medical College, University of South China, Hengyang, China
  • 2Hunan Normal University Affiliated Hengyang City Central Hospital, Hengyang, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects 5-15% of reproductive-aged women and involves significant metabolic dysregulation, for which nutritional interventions show therapeutic potential. This umbrella meta-analysis synthesizes evidence from 46 randomized trials (n=30,133) to evaluate dietary supplements targeting core PCOS pathways. Key nutraceuticals demonstrate clinically relevant benefits: myo-inositol significantly improves insulin sensitivity (HOMA-IR SMD = -0.81) and SHBG levels (SMD = 9.65) by enhancing glucose transporter activity; probiotics reduce systemic inflammation (CRP SMD = -0.82) via gut-microbiota modulation; omega-3 fatty acids ameliorate dyslipidemia (LDL-C SMD = -9.57; HDL-C SMD = 2.31) through anti-inflammatory mechanisms. Plant-derived compounds like curcumin lower fasting glucose (SMD = -3.43) via NF-κB pathway inhibition, while green tea catechins reduce adiposity. Significant heterogeneity arises from variations in supplement bioavailability, dosing protocols, and patient metabolic phenotypes. Nevertheless, consistent evidence confirms that targeted nutrient supplementation modulates insulin signaling, lipid metabolism, and hormonal balance in PCOS. Emerging research priorities include personalized nutrition protocols leveraging nutrigenomic interactions and antioxidant-rich formulations (e.g., vitamin E, selenium). This work establishes a mechanistic foundation for integrating evidence-based nutraceuticals—particularly myo-inositol, probiotics, and omega-3s—into PCOS management, offering clinically actionable strategies while highlighting needs for standardized dosing and bioavailability studies.

Keywords: Dietary Supplements, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Umbrella Meta-analysis, Bibliometrics, Future trend

Received: 15 Sep 2025; Accepted: 08 Oct 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Huang, Wang, Zou, Huang, Jiang, Feng, Shen and Lei. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Huilong Shen, 13575128923@163.com
Xiaocan Lei, 2019000013@usc.edu.cn

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