ArticleFrontiers in endocrinology2026
Effect of a 5:2 intermittent fasting diet on obese patients with polycystic ovary syndrome.
Article in Frontiers in endocrinology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder that affects fertility and metabolism. Obesity, present in a significant proportion of PCOS patients, exacerbates insulin resistance (IR) and worsens reproductive outcomes. This study explores the effects of a 12-week 5:2 intermittent fasting diet with meal replacement (MR) on body weight, metabolic, and endocrine markers in obese women with PCOS. Methods: A non-randomized, single-arm interventional study was conducted with 90 obese women diagnosed with PCOS. Participants were assigned to three groups: 5:2 intermittent fasting with MR, non-meal replacement intermittent fasting, and no intervention. To reduce potential confounding, the study utilized Propensity Score Matching (PSM) to match baseline characteristics such as age, body mass index (BMI), and metabolic markers. Primary outcomes included changes in body weight, BMI, waist circumference, fasting insulin, glucose levels, and reproductive hormone markers. Menstrual regularity and ovulation frequency were also assessed. Results: The intervention group (5:2 intermittent fasting with MR) showed significant reductions in body weight (from 77.15 kg to 69.1 kg, P < 0.001), waist circumference, and BMI. Insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) decreased significantly (P = 0.008), and a reduction in 2-hour glucose levels (P = 0.025) was observed. Although metabolic markers improved, reproductive hormones (follicle-stimulating hormone [FSH], luteinizing hormone [LH], estradiol, progesterone) did not show significant changes. However, menstrual regularity improved in 80% of participants, and 50% showed improved ovulation frequency. The non-meal replacement intermittent fasting group also showed improvements, but to a lesser extent. Conclusions: The 5:2 intermittent fasting diet with MR significantly reduces body weight, improves insulin sensitivity, and enhances metabolic markers in obese women with PCOS. Although reproductive hormone levels did not significantly change, menstrual and ovulatory function improved. Future studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up are needed to explore the long-term effects of intermittent fasting on reproductive health in PCOS patients.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.