Insulin resistance in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: insuline and bone interaction and implications of diet

Looking at the current scientific literature, it seems that Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a pathology mainly from developed and emerging countries. It looks like Africa is not interested in this pathology, which according to the current literature affects 8-10% of women around the world. However, a preliminary study carried out 10 years earlier on Congolese women showed that this pathology does indeed exist in Africa, and that insulin resistance, the main complication of this pathology, is found in a fairly high proportion. With the goal of improving PCOS women's well-being, I continued my research on insulin resistance. On the recommendation of Professor Paolo Pozzilli, who is one of the pioneers in research on type 1 diabetes, I began to look for a simpler way to diagnose and treat this complication in Congolese women affected by PCOS. I present, in this thesis, the results of my research. The first part of this thesis focuses on markers of insulin resistance. It shows how the wrist circumference is the best marker known to date for the assessment of insulin resistance in women with PCOS. These results suggest that the wrist circumference may be the best easy-to-detect anthropometric marker known to date. They also suggest that insulin resistance has an impact on the bone system in PCOS women. The second part presents peculiarities of the Congolese PCOS woman's diet having insulin resistance. With this study, we provide the first demonstration of the impact of imported white rice consumption on insulinemia and insulin resistance in Congolese women with PCOS. We demonstrate that there is a link between white rice consumption and insulin resistance in PCOS women. We also demonstrate that consumption of large amounts of white rice not only induces, but also worsens insulin resistance in women with PCOS regardless of BMI and central fat distribution. Finally, the third part of this thesis is about the beneficial effects of a 12 weeks antioxidant-rich diet on insulin resistance in PCOS women. Our results emphasize the fact that insulin resistance causes oxidative stress in women with PCOS. Therefore, by acting on this oxidative stress with a rich antioxidant diet, insulin resistance can be improved in these women.