Effects of Apples and Exercise on Clinical Parameters of Metabolic Syndrome in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the consumption of apples and moderate intensity resistance training, twice weekly, on blood glucose, abdominal circumference, blood lipids, blood pressure, BMI and insulin resistance in overweight/obese college age women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Methods: Premenopausal women (ages 18-27) were randomly assigned to four treatment groups: apple supplement without exercise (Apple) (n=5), apple supplement with exercise (ExApp) (n=6), cereal supplement (placebo) without exercise (Cereal) (n=3), or cereal supplement with exercise (ExCer) (n=3) for eight weeks. Participants in the apple groups received 75 grams of dried apples. The control supplement was 65 grams of cereal, matched in calories and fiber content with the apple supplement. Participants were provided with 28 days worth of supplements to be eaten in the first 4 weeks, returned to the lab for midpoint assessments, and given another 4 weeks worth of supplements. The exercise protocol consisted of resistance training twice per week with each session allowing 48-72 hours for recovery. At each training session participants performed 3 sets of 12 repetitions at the 12RM. During each visit a total of 10 exercises were performed; one for each major muscle group. The non-exercise groups did not perform any physical activity outside of their usual activities. Anthropometric measurements and blood were collected at the beginning (0wk) and at the end (8wk) of the study. Results: Fasting blood glucose significantly increased (p<0.05) in the Cereal and ExCereal groups, but did not change in the Apple and ExApp groups. The Cereal groups, with and without exercise, showed significant increases (p≤0.05) in fasting insulin and HOMA-IR. Both the Cereal and ExApp groups exhibited significant increases (p≤0.05) in total cholesterol. The Cereal group had significantly elevated (p<0.05) LDL cholesterol levels while the ExApp group had significantly elevated (p<0.05) TG levels. Conclusions: This study found that consuming 75 grams of dried apples every day for 2 months can prevent increases in insulin resistance and prevent glucose, insulin, and LDLc from significantly increasing in young, sedentary women with PCOS.