PCOS can manifest with a variety of symptoms, but one of its primary drivers is often insulin resistance.

When you eat, carbohydrates break down into glucose, the body’s primary energy source. As blood glucose levels rise, the pancreas releases insulin, which acts like a key to allow glucose into cells that is converted into energy.

Insulin resistance arises from various factors, often tied to diet (high in refined carbs and saturated fats, low in fiber), chronic stress, poor sleep, a sedentary lifestyle, and genetics.

In insulin resistance, the key that unlocks the cell doesn’t work as efficiently, leaving the cell empty. This signals to the brain that your cells are starving, which can lead to feeling hangry, feeling hungry even though you just ate, or experiencing unstable mood and energy throughout the day. In response, the body produces more insulin to coax the cells into opening for glucose. Our body requires stable blood glucose levels to survive, so it has protective mechanisms to stabilize blood sugar. The excess glucose in the blood is stored as glycogen in the liver or muscles, or stored as fat. High insulin levels can also trigger cholesterol and triglyceride production, elevate androgen levels, create inflammation, and disrupt ovulation, impacting long-term cardiovascular, metabolic, and reproductive health. Therefore, it’s critical not only to have stable blood glucose levels but also to have tightly controlled insulin release when we eat, which means our cells need to be responsive when insulin increases.