Aerobic exercise for women with PCOS Original paper

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the most common endocrine disorder among women of reproductive age, often co-occurs alongside insulin resistance and inflammation. Metformin, a prescription medication, is often used to treat PCOS due to its ability to improve insulin resistance.

Because exercise can improve insulin sensitivity and reduce inflammation, it’s possible that performing exercise and taking metformin reduces inflammation more than taking metformin alone.

In this 12-week randomized controlled trial, 40 sedentary women with PCOS (ages 25–35; BMIs of 18.5–24.9) received 1,500 mg/day of metformin (M group) or daily metformin plus aerobic exercise (AEM group) The aerobic exercise program consisted of walking on a treadmill for approximately 30 minutes per day, three days per week.

Before and after the study, the investigators collected blood samples to assess interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels.

Both groups experienced significant reductions from baseline in all three inflammatory markers. After 12 weeks, all three inflammatory markers were lower among participants in the AEM group than in the M group.