Cinnamon:

Cinnamon is one of the most versatile spices and is less intimidated for most of us. It can be added to chia seed puddings, my high protein pancake recipe,  or any baking dish! I also like to add a dash of cinnamon to my spaghetti sauce to lower the acid taste of the tomatoes. Remember that chai tea recommendation above? Cinnamon is also tasty when combined with ginger or other spices in a tea. Cinnamon is a spice with many benefits when it comes to PCOS, it has been shown to improve blood glucose levels and lower insulin resistance.

Turmeric:

Turmeric is one of the most potent anti-inflammatory spices, and has been used for centuries as a way to boost immunity and heal disease. The component in turmeric that is so powerfully anti-inflammatory is curcumin. It’s so anti-inflammatory that curcumin is becoming a leading supplement for people with inflammatory conditions. Turmeric will be most effective when combined with black pepper- this is true in supplement form and in culinary applications. Add turmeric to stews, rice (for a beautiful color!) or teas…but don’t forget to add a pinch of black pepper to whatever you make!  This has also become popular in drink form as “golden milk”.

Garlic:

Garlic may be the easiest anti-inflammatory spice to add to your daily diet. Garlic is a foundation to most dishes, and can be sautéed with onions to create a healing and flavorful base to your meal! Whenever I see garlic in a recipe I always consider increasing the portion of it. I mean when someone says “one clove of garlic” I typically think they are just teasing me.

Regular Exercise can Keep Inflammation at Bay

So with a quick google search you will see that during exercise there is actually an increase in things called inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress. However, after exercise is complete we see an increase in anti-inflammatory substances.

Regular exercise is actually correlated with lower levels of inflammation. So while during exercise you may see an increase in these substances, that is, if you were looking at blood markers while doing exercise. Who does that? Regular exercise is actually great for inflammation. This is likely also because regular exercise will increase insulin sensitivity. This is the opposite of insulin resistance. As our body becomes more sensitive to insulin we will make less of it. Insulin increases inflammation so decreasing chronically elevated insulin levels will have a positive impact on chronic low grade inflammation.

Don’t get stuck in the weeds with what kind of movement or exercise. What kind of movement will you do consistently? What kind of movement do you enjoy? What is realistic for you right now? Get started with that.

What Supplements Lower Inflammation?

Just like foods and spices have an impact on chronic inflammation and PCOS symptoms, we see many of these same substances can come in forms and doses that can cool the flame of inflammatory processes.

Curcumin

This has become an incredibly popular supplement in recent years. This is the active compound in turmeric. You can take larger amounts of this active ingredient to improve symptoms more quickly. Many studies show 500 mg of curcumin. Looking for a supplement that also has black pepper in it will be important for activating an anti-inflammatory response from curcumin. Think about the black pepper as the keys to the car. The car can take you places, but not until it’s turned on. Curcumin is activated by the black pepper. Taking over 500 mg can cause symptoms like nausea, headaches or diarrhea.

Fish Oil

Fatty fish have very high concentrations of omega-3-fatty acids. These fatty acids are incredibly anti-inflammatory. Very few people eat the recommended amount of fatty fish weekly, so adding in fish oil supplements, even a few days per week, can really impact inflammatory responses in the body. This is another supplement that has multiple applications for women with polycystic ovary syndrome. It can help with factors related to fertility and cardiovascular disease. Choosing a high quality fish oil that considers sourcing is very important. One of my favorites is listed in the protocol linked here.

Vitamin D

There have been multiple studies linking chronically low levels of vitamin D with higher levels of inflammatory markers. Vitamin D is important for metabolism, hormones, immune function, bone status and so much more. This is also a nutrient very difficult to obtain adequate amounts of through our diet alone. Vitamin D is recognized as a nutrient our body has the capacity to create when our skin is exposed to the sun. However, most of the population does not live close enough to the equator and typically does not have enough skin exposed to the sun to make adequate amounts of vitamin D.

Supplementation becomes incredibly important in the PCOS population. Vitamin D status has a reverse correlation with metabolic syndrome. That means, as vitamin D status goes up the degree of metabolic syndrome decreases. Vitamin D also plays a role in insulin regulation. Studies show low vitamin D status is related to higher levels of miscarriage and infertility. Are you convinced it’s important yet? It is.

Vitamin D is a supplement that many are encouraged to exercise caution with and have regular testing if you are taking higher amounts of. In all my years of clinical practice, unless someone has been taking 4,000-8,000 IU daily, I have not seen optimal numbers of vitamin D. In fact, this is the one nutrient I can almost always count on being too low. Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin, meaning our body has a capacity to store it over longer periods of time. Our body lacks that capacity with water soluble vitamins like vitamins in the B family and vitamin C. As vitamin D is fat soluble, it is something to be mindful in your approach to obtaining adequate levels.

Magnesium and vitamin K2 are important partners for vitamin D. It is best to make sure you are taking in enough magnesium via diet or supplementation to help utilize vitamin D. Vitamin K2 is important to help the calcium that vitamin D carries around to be deposited in the bones instead of in the arteries. The type of vitamin D you take is also important. Vitamin D2 is very inexpensive to make compared to vitamin D3. However, vitamin D3 is much more effective at raising serum(blood) levels of vitamin D.

In western medicine it is widely accepted that any lab value for 25-OH-vitamin D between 30 ng/ml and 100 ng/ml is adequate. Most individuals do not even reach the lower end of this range. It’s more common in my practice to see people with vitamin D levels in the teens and low twenties than to see adequate numbers. In functional and integrative medicine the range that is typically considered as optimal is between 50 ng/ml to 80 ng/ml. Work with your practitioner to find dosing that is optimal for your goals and current lab values.

Resveratrol

In my opinion this anti-oxidant that powerfully fights inflammation and oxidative stress is worth trying to obtain through food choices. It is found in purple skinned fruit like blueberries and grapes. This is typically the anti-oxidant that gives red wine it’s image as a healing elixer. Resveratrol is also found in chocolate. As I (the author of this article) am a registered dietitian, you will always see me try to help nurture a “food first” approach. Yet, this anti-oxidant may be worth taking in higher doses at certain times.

There is evidence in an obese population that supplementing with resveratrol has been shown to improve HOMA-IR scores(a calculation to provide level of insulin resistance), lower blood pressure, lower blood glucose levels, lower triglycerides, and inflammation markers. In times where inflammation levels have been reported high in blood values, insulin resistance is in need of improvement, and when fertility is of prime concern, resveratrol can be a powerful way to optimize these factors. Consider focusing on ways to incorporate purple skinned fruit in a balanced way with protein. Additionally consider supplementation; many studies have doses of 150 mg- 500 mg. Check with your provider on what may be the best route forward for your particular goals and needs.

Green Tea Extract

This is a compelling option for those with PCOS symptoms for multiple reasons. There is evidence that taking green tea extract combined with exercise that inflammatory blood markers decrease, more than if you were exercising alone. Green tea has a number of anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to it, but it is theorized that many of the benefits come from a substance called: epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). EGCG is something that can also help you feel calm while consuming something with caffeine. It’s great that nature paired it with green tea leaves. Green tea has also been shown to lower testosterone and other androgen excess, so if you are someone battling inflammation and high levels of androgens – green tea or green tea extract may be helpful.

Green tea is also something that is pro-metabolic. It essentially can help raise your metabolism, so pairing green tea with blood sugar balancing dietary principles and increasing movement, not only can PCOS symptoms improve, but all these interventions are supportive of improving insulin sensitivity, metabolic syndrome and the very root causes of PCOS.

Brewing green tea and keeping it in your fridge to sip on all week is one great way to get these benefits, but supplementing is also an option.

Vitamin C

This is a supplement most people are familiar with and likely even have in their cupboards. Vitamin C is important for over-all immune health. Inflammation is a process that is moderated by the immune system and keeping healthy amounts of anti-oxidants is important for immune function and inflammation regulation.

If you have a diet rich in fruit and vegetables you likely are getting enough vitamin C. This is a great vitamin to consider getting additional sources of if inflammation levels are indicated as high based on lab markers like c-reactive protein, homocysteine or interleukins. Vitamin C is a supplement that high doses of can cause loose stool or diarrhea so monitor for those symptoms when taking vitamin C.