Post by Jana on Sept 23, 2004 9:54:16 GMT -5
SUPPLEMENTS FOR HIRSUTISM
SUPPLEMENTATION - VITAMINS & MINERALS. Quite a number of vitamins and minerals are helpful for normalizing insulin and androgens, or reducing the effects of testosterone. They include chromium, vitamin E, magnesium, zinc, copper, and vitamin B6, to name a few.(6-9)
Supplementation may also be indicated if your diet has been less than optimal and if you are taking multiple medications. Take vitamin B6 for example. The processing of foods may transform B6 into another compound that your body can’t use.(10). The chronic use of birth control pills has long been suspected of creating a vitamin B6 deficiency, although this has not been conclusively proven.(11).
You want to have some B6 on board because it appears to reduce the production of prolactin (12-13), a hormone that causes testosterone to be taken up by tissues. Some women with PCOS have too much prolactin. Vitamin B6 also dampens the responsiveness of cells to hormones, and when there is a vitamin B6 deficiency, the cells appear to have an exaggerated response to hormones.(14)
In summary, supplementation with vitamin B6 and other nutrients should be considered for inclusion as part of your overall program to control hirsutism and other PCOS symptoms.
SUPPLEMENTATION - VITAMINS & MINERALS. Quite a number of vitamins and minerals are helpful for normalizing insulin and androgens, or reducing the effects of testosterone. They include chromium, vitamin E, magnesium, zinc, copper, and vitamin B6, to name a few.(6-9)
Supplementation may also be indicated if your diet has been less than optimal and if you are taking multiple medications. Take vitamin B6 for example. The processing of foods may transform B6 into another compound that your body can’t use.(10). The chronic use of birth control pills has long been suspected of creating a vitamin B6 deficiency, although this has not been conclusively proven.(11).
You want to have some B6 on board because it appears to reduce the production of prolactin (12-13), a hormone that causes testosterone to be taken up by tissues. Some women with PCOS have too much prolactin. Vitamin B6 also dampens the responsiveness of cells to hormones, and when there is a vitamin B6 deficiency, the cells appear to have an exaggerated response to hormones.(14)
In summary, supplementation with vitamin B6 and other nutrients should be considered for inclusion as part of your overall program to control hirsutism and other PCOS symptoms.
