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- 1Hengyang Medical College, University of South China, Hengyang, China
- 2Hunan Normal University Affiliated Hengyang City Central Hospital, Hengyang, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
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
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.