08/14/2022
📋Inositol works to help regulate cell signaling pathways for hormones and neurotransmitters, so it's especially beneficial for insulin regulation. There are nine different types of inositol, but d-chiro-inositol (DCI) and myo-inositol (MI) are especially important for PCOS, according to the research.
PCOS is often characterized by elevated androgens, like high testosterone. In PCOS, insulin stimulates the ovaries to produce testosterone. In some people with PCOS, insulin resistance is present, which means your cells aren't responding correctly to insulin. Insulin is a hormone secreted by your pancreas that helps shuttle glucose from your bloodstream into your cells for energy.
When you have insulin resistance, your pancreas has to secrete more and more insulin to get the same effect, leading to higher than normal insulin levels in your bloodstream (hyperinsulinemia).
Inositol is made from glucose (the sugar found in carbohydrates) and incorporated into your cell membranes. It acts as a second messenger for hormones like insulin and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).
A second messenger acts like a go-between from hormone receptors outside your cells to the inside. When hormones like insulin bind to their receptors outside of your cells, inositol helps relay the message inside.
Inositol can help the cells become better at responding to insulin, which means the body secretes less and blood sugar balance is improved.
Interestingly, there's a link between low levels of DCI and an increased risk of insulin resistance. Most body tissue has an myo-inositol to d-chiro-inositol ratio close to 40 to 1, but it is often much higher for people with PCOS because they have lower DCI. People with PCOS may also be less efficient at converting myo-inositol to d-chiro-inositol, so supplementation with MI and DCI could help restore levels.
Source: Dr. Jolene Brighten
