A study reports higher prevalence of eating disorders among people with polycystic ovary syndrome, regardless of their body mass index. This episode i

People with PCOS Face Increased Eating Disorder Risks

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2024-09-25 19:30:06

A study reports higher prevalence of eating disorders among people with polycystic ovary syndrome, regardless of their body mass index.

This episode is part of “Health Equity Heroes,” an editorially independent special project that was produced with financial support from Takeda Pharmaceuticals.

Rachel Feltman: Polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, affects as many as five million people in the U.S. alone. But in spite of how common PCOS is, it’s also quite poorly understood. Many people with the condition remain undiagnosed as they grapple with irregular periods, changes in their hair growth and body composition, acne and even infertility. If and when they do manage to get a diagnosis, they’re often told to focus on lifestyle changes like weight loss to mitigate symptoms. Now some researchers are pushing back against this generalized advice, which they say isn’t just unhelpful but sometimes actively harmful.

In a recent meta-analysis researchers showed that people with PCOS have a higher prevalence of eating disorders than their peers—regardless of their body mass index, or BMI, a common though flawed measurement based on a person's height and weight.