“People with PCOS need to eliminate carbohydrates.”
People with PCOS do not need to cut out carbohydrates.
Having PCOS does not make fruit, beans, whole grains and other carbohydrate foods off limits. The eating pattern that helps is a healthy one you can keep up, whether it is lower or higher in carbohydrates.
Ask your care team to help you build a healthy eating plan that fits your goals and the foods you like.
Trials in women with PCOS have tested low-carb, low-glycemic, DASH and high-protein diets, and none shows that cutting out carbohydrates is required; the 2023 international PCOS guideline says no one diet type is better than another. Confidence is moderate because the diet trials are small, short and of low certainty.
People with PCOS do not need to cut out carbohydrates. Trials show several eating patterns, including ones with carbohydrates, can help, and none has been shown to beat the others.
A 2025 review of 21 randomized trials in women with PCOS found that calorie-reduced DASH diets helped weight and blood sugar, while low-glycemic, high-protein and lower-carbohydrate diets gave results similar to the comparison diets; the authors said there are too few trials for firm conclusions. A 2023 umbrella review found lower-carbohydrate, DASH and low-glycemic diets improved some body and blood measures, but the certainty was very low to low. The 2023 international PCOS guideline says there is no evidence to support any one type of diet composition over another, advises healthy eating tailored to a person's preferences and goals, and warns against unduly restrictive and nutritionally unbalanced diets.
- Choi Y, Kang K, Je M, Lee YM, Kim Y. The Influence of Dietary Patterns on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Management in Women: A Review of Randomized Controlled Trials with and Without an Isocaloric Dietary Design. Nutrients. 2025;17(4):674. DOI: 10.3390/nu17040674. PMID: 40005001. PMCID: PMC11858571
- Moslehi N, Zeraattalab-Motlagh S, Rahimi Sakak F, Shab-Bidar S, Tehrani FR, Mirmiran P. Effects of nutrition on metabolic and endocrine outcomes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: an umbrella review of meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. Nutrition Reviews. 2023;81(5):555-577. DOI: 10.1093/nutrit/nuac075. PMID: 36099162
- Teede HJ, Tay CT, Laven J, Dokras A, Moran LJ, Piltonen TT, Costello MF, Boivin J, Redman LM, Boyle JA, Norman RJ, Mousa A, Joham AE; International PCOS Network. Recommendations from the 2023 International Evidence-based Guideline for the Assessment and Management of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Human Reproduction. 2023;38(9):1655-1679. DOI: 10.1093/humrep/dead156. PMID: 37580037. PMCID: PMC10477934