Abstract
Purpose: The detrimental effects of irregularities in reproductive indicators in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) are increased due to obesity. The outcomes of reproductive characteristics in PCOS are affected by the ketogenic diet. Dysregulation of the neuropeptide is a key mechanism in the PCOS pathogenesis. Despite the impact of the ketogenic diet on many neuropeptides being established in various diseases, its impact on neuropeptide indicators has not yet been established in PCOS. Thus, a specific objective of the current pilot observational report was to investigate whether the ketogenic diet has a significant impact on the neuropeptide indicators (Kisspeptin and Phoenixin-14) in obese PCOS.
Methods: The present work is a pilot observational study conducted over 1 year (2025) on 100 obese PCOS women at private clinics in Baghdad City. Only fifty obese PCOS women completed and concluded our study. The impact of adhering to a 3 and 6-month ketogenic diet has been investigated by measuring the routine reproductive and neuropeptide levels (Kisspeptin and Phoenixin-14).
Results: From the baseline (before obese PCOS women adhered to the ketogenic diet), the ketogenic diet for 3 and 6 months had a significant impact, resulting in a significant reduction in the kisspeptin (1861.9±139.8 pg/mL vs. 1801.8±193.5 pg/mL vs. 1775.9±287.7 pg/mL), and a significant reduction in the phoenixin-14 (79.5±29.1 ng/mL vs. 62.7±22.3 ng/mL vs. 54.9±33.2 ng/mL).
Conclusion: The current findings highlight the importance of the ketogenic diet as adjunctive management for the reproductive and neuropeptide indicators to manage PCOS complications, particularly neuropeptide dysregulation.