Insulin levels via meal timing boosts ovulation, fertility

For women with Polycystic Ovarian syndrome, a disorder that impairs fertility, insulin management by meal timing can improve fertility, Israeli researchers say. Daniela Jakubowicz of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and the Diabetes Unit at Wolfson Medical Center and colleagues found a natural way to help women of normal weight who suffer from PCOS manage their glucose and insulin levels to improve overall fertility. Women with PCOS are typically "insulin resistant" -- their bodies produce an overabundance of insulin to deliver glucose from the blood into the muscles. The excess makes its way to the ovaries, where it stimulates the production of testosterone, thereby impairing fertility, Jakubowicz explained. Jakubowicz said meal timing can make a difference. The goal of her maintenance meal plan, based on the body's 24 hour metabolic cycle, is not weight loss but insulin management. Women with PCOS who increased their calorie intake at breakfast -- 983 calorie breakfast, a 645 calorie lunch, and a 190 calorie dinner -- saw a reduction in insulin resistance, Jakubowicz said. This led to lower levels of testosterone and dramatic increase in the ovulation frequency -- measures that have a direct impact on fertility, Jakubowicz said. The research was published in the journal Clinical Science and was recently presented at the Endocrine Society's annual meeting.