Impact of junk food on obesity and polycystic ovarian syndrome: Mechanisms and management strategies

The prevalence of obesity among women worldwide has escalated to 26%, and among adolescent girls, it is 18%. An elevated BMI is closely associated with metabolic and gynecological issues in women. PCOS is a serious and frequently prevalent obesity-related comorbidity that manifests in girls and women genetically prone to it. A cross-sectional study examined the intake of several types of junk food in 200 girls with and without menstrual abnormalities by investigating their menstrual patterns, anthropometric measures, and eating frequency. It found that junk food consumption was substantially related to menstrual difficulties. Junk food slows down the body's metabolism and reduces the calories it burns, making it challenging to maintain a healthy weight. Junk food indirectly affects androgen levels through IR. Elevated insulin levels cause the decline of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), a regulatory protein that suppresses the activity of androgens in females and causes hyperandrogenism when cytokines cause IR. There is a correlation between the current young society and junk food which lead to obesity and its complications. Its already been proven that consuming junk food rapidly and frequently results in binge and overeating without reaching satiety and limiting the amount of energy consumed. Obesity and junk eating are inherently connected with hormones. In the globalized era, when there is an abundance of fast food and sedentary lifestyles foster weight gain, polygenic obesity is the most prevalent sort of obesity. A highly integrated gut-to-brain neuroendocrine system controls appetite and body weight by monitoring both short- and long-term fluctuations in energy intake and expenditure. Several diet regimens, like the ketogenic diet, DASH diet, low GI diet, etc, make it easier to cut portion sizes and extra sugar and fat drastically. Provided our knowledge of the underlying mechanisms behind obesity and reproductive diseases, certain strategies should emphasize nutrition and lifestyle for treatment and management.