Does Vitamin E Supplementation Alter Hormonal Levels in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract

Vitamin E influences hormonal parameters in women, but the evidence concerning its effectiveness in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) are constrained. The objective of this systematic review is to perceive the mechanism behind the hormonal effects of vitamin E in PCOS and explore the effectiveness of vitamin E by analyzing the clinical studies. Electronic bibliographic databases, such as PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, DOAJ, ScienceDirect, and Cochrane Library, were searched for clinical studies scrutinizing the effect of vitamin E supplementation on PCOS. The systematic review protocol is registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021272963) and was performed as per the PRISMA guidelines. Records analyzing the hormonal parameters were included. For individual study, the risk of bias was ascertained with NHLBI protocol for controlled randomized studies. There were 1438 records identified, of which seven records were retrieved which met the inclusion criteria. Bibliographic details, number of participants, the dose of vitamin E, duration of the treatment and trial, parameters analyzed, and outcome of each study were extracted comprehensively. In the review, the majority of the studies embraced high-quality studies, which included double-blinded controlled trials, open-label controlled studies, and cohort studies. Vitamin E implies having a progesterone-like impression with estrogenic and androgenic properties. Furthermore, the ability of vitamin E as an antioxidant is also advantageous in PCOS women. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence on its mechanism, and the inadequacy of large-scale concerns about different age groups against PCOS is requisite.