Defining exercise prescription in lifestyle modification programs for overweight/obese polycystic ovary syndrome women

To the Editor:

We reviewed the manuscript by Nybacka et al. (1) with great interest. The authors randomized overweight/obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) to investigate the effects of different lifestyle modification approaches on ovarian function and endocrine/metabolic parameters. The patients were assigned to diet, exercise or diet plus exercise for 4 months, and at least 1-year after the termination of the programs were invited to participate in a follow-up visit. A total of 14, 17 and 12 women completed, respectively, the diet, exercise and diet plus exercise intervention after 4 months, and 7 of each group completed the follow-up visit. At the end of the study the authors’ conclusion was that “properly managed diet and exercise, alone or in combination, are equally effective in improving reproductive function in overweight/obese women with PCOS, despite the minor weight loss associated with exercise.”