A new study has revealed that eating seeds could revolutionise the treatment of PCOS symptoms.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, better known as PCOS, affects one in 10 women in the UK. It can lead to irregular or no periods, hair on the face and body, painful cysts and even lead to infertility.
And with wellness medicine — from reiki, to acupuncture to ice baths — booming, researchers have been looking at natural ways to treat the symptoms of PCOS.
The study looked at 90 women with PCOS who were being treated in gynaecological departments around the US, aged between 15-40.
The women were split into three groups and put on different treatment plans for 90 days.
Group one was a simple control group, the second was an experimental group who were treated with metformin, the traditional drug treatment for PCOS, as well as a portion control diet, and the third group of women were treated with seed cycling, plus a portion control diet.
What is seed cycling?
Seed cycling, a trend that’s blown up on TikTok with 4.7 million views of the hashtag #seedcylcing, is a concept where you eat different seeds at different points of your menstrual cycle, in an effort to support the fluctuating hormones.
Passionate ‘biohacker’ and TikTok creator Brittany shared a post that explains which seeds to eat when.
She says you should eat “pumpkin seeds and flaxseeds for the first half of your cycle and sesame and sunflower seeds for the second half.”
“You ground the seeds every day and you have about a tablespoon of each, every day,” she explains.
She says it has the right amount of fat and nutrients to help you during the specific phases of your menstrual cycle.
What were the study’s results?
The researchers set out to see which group of women had the highest levels of FSH, follicle-stimulating hormone, which is usually much higher in women with PCOS.
FSH and LH (luteinising hormone) are often both in the range of about four to eight in young, fertile women. In women with polycystic ovaries, the LH to FSH ratio is often higher – for example 2:1, or even 3:1.
During the 12-week study, the highest FSH levels were found in the control group, or group one.
In the second group, FSH fell from 6.545 ± 0.16 mIU/mL to 3.51 ± 0.13 mIU/mL throughout a 12-week period.
Overall, the portion-controlled diet and seed cycling tested in the third group of women reduced FSH levels by 1.2% to 2.5%.
“Conclusively, the seed cycling approach is effective and has significant results in women with PCOS,” said the study team. “Seed cycling improves hormonal disturbance in women which promotes a healthy life.”
One TikTok user taking a deep dive into the study’s findings was particularly blown away by the scans of the women’s bodies: “My favourite part of this whole thing is the ultrasounds.
“So they did an ultrasound on the ovaries before and after seed cycling, with amazing results. They show clear ovaries and in some cases, no cysts at all any more.”
While it’s important to continue the treatment plan set in place by your doctor or gynaecologist, these findings show that the way we eat could have more power over our bodies than we previously thought.
Now, off to the shops to top up on seeds…