Carnitine and Chromium co-supplementation Affects Mental Health, Hormonal, Inflammatory, Genetic and Oxidative Stress Parameters in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the co-administration of carnitine and chromium on mental health, hormonal, inflammatory and genetic parameters in women with PCOS.Methods: This randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted on 54 subjects, aged 18-40 years old. Subjects were randomly allocated to take either 1,000 mg/day carnitine plus 200 μg/day chromium as chromium picolinate (n=26) or placebo (n=27) for 12 weeks. Gene expression related to inflammation was conducted on peripheral blood mononuclear cells of PCOS women using RT-PCR method.Results: Carnitine and chromium co-supplementation, compared with the placebo, significantly improved beck depression inventory (β -0.84; 95% CI, -1.51, -0.17; P=0.01), general health questionnaire scores (β -1.13; 95% CI, -2.13, -0.14; P=0.02) and depression anxiety and stress scale scores (β -0.96; 95% CI, -0.78, -0.14; P=0.02). Participants who received carnitine plus chromium supplements had significantly lower total testosterone (β -0.15 ng/mL; 95% CI, -0.24, -0.06; P=0.002), hirsutism (β -0.48; 95% CI, -0.91, -0.06; P=0.02), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (β -1.02 mg/L; 95% CI, -1.79, -0.25; P=0.01) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels (β -0.38 μmol/L; 95% CI, -0.56, -0.20; P<0.001), and higher total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels (β 107.18 mmol/L; 95% CI, 44.24, 170.12; P=0.001) compared with the placebo. A trend toward a greater increase in sex hormone-binding globulin (P=0.07) was observed among those who took co-supplements compared with the placebo. Moreover, carnitine and chromium co-supplementation upregulated gene expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) (P=0.02) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) (P=0.02) compared with the placebo.Conclusions: Overall, the co-administration of carnitine and chromium for 12 weeks to women with PCOS had beneficial effects on mental health parameters, serum total testosterone, mF-G scores, hs-CRP, plasma TAC and MDA levels, and gene expression of IL-6 and TNF-α.

کلیدواژه ها:

Carnitine ، chromium ، mental health ، hormonal profiles ، inflammatory markers ، polycystic ovary syndrome