Current Studies

PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)  affects 1 in 10 women globally, leading to health issues like high blood pressure, insulin resistance, obesity, depression, and anxiety. Many with PCOS also develop diabetes. It’s often diagnosed during infertility concerns but can start in adolescence. There is no cure, and managing symptoms is a challenge. PCOS involves metabolic problems, especially weight and insulin issues. Weight loss and calorie reduction are common approaches but have mixed long-term results. Therefore, prophylactic lifestyle changes such as diet modifications merit further examination. We have demonstrated that a ketogenic diet has unique metabolic benefits independent of weight loss but have not specifically studied women with PCOS in our past studies. We reason that failure to consider lower carbohydrate diets for women with PCOS given the carbohydrate intolerance inherent to insulin resistance, represents a major knowledge gap in understanding the metabolic mechanisms underlying this endocrinopathy that is present in over 10% of women worldwide. Leveraging the principles of translational science, we propose a disruptive innovation: investigating the impact of a ketogenic diet on ovulatory function in women diagnosed with PCOS.

Over the past three decades, the compulsory incorporation of women in NIH-funded clinical trials has significantly expanded our understanding of women’s health. Despite this growth in knowledge, health, and wellness products, as well as educational resources, continue to heavily depend on information sources that insufficiently consider the complexities of menstruating women’s physiology and its relationship to downstream physiological shifts and health outcomes. The cyclic hormonal fluctuations that regulate the menstrual cycle exert a profound biological influence on the female body, carrying significant implications for clinical research. Women find themselves intricately bound, metabolically, physically, and cognitively, to the nuances of their menstrual cycle. The vigilant monitoring of menstrual cycles stands as a crucial imperative for diverse research initiatives devoted to women’s reproductive health by providing more context and personalization to study findings. The Strategic Hormonal Evaluation and Instrument-Reliability Study (SHE IS) aims to investigate the relationships between hormonal blood markers (Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), Luteinizing Hormone (LH), Estrogen, and Progesterone) and three non-invasive fertility tracking devices. 

The upcoming study focuses on exploring how a well-formulated ketogenic diet can influence women in perimenopause, a transitional phase lasting 3-8 years marked by a decrease in estrogen levels. This drop in estrogen causes a range of symptoms, including irregular menstrual cycles, hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes, vaginal dryness, joint or muscle pain, brain fog, weight gain, and sleep disturbances. The ketogenic diet, with its metabolic focus, may offer protective effects during this transition by stabilizing hormone fluctuations and supporting metabolism. This study aims to investigate how the diet could potentially delay the onset or reduce the severity of these symptoms, enhancing overall well-being for women during perimenopause.

We aim to investigate the effect of exogenous ketones on mothers suffering from PPD. Because of its prevalence and potential for severe consequences in the mother, infant, and family, PPD demands greater attention in the sphere of clinical research. We believe that the use of exogenous ketones will improve symptoms of PPD. RENEW introduces a novel approach to PPD treatment by exploring the use of exogenous ketones, specifically BHB as an adjunctive therapy while sparring the mother from intricate dietary interventions.