Association of Homocysteine with Body Mass Index in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

  • Asma Kheirollahi Department of Comparative Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
  • Akram Vatannejad Department of Comparative Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
  • Sara Bayat Department of Comparative Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
  • Maryam Teimouri Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Allied Medical Science, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran
  • Molood Bagherieh Ramsar Campus, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Ramsar, Iran
  • Farzad Amiri Department of Endocrinology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  • Faezeh Fattahi Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  • Farah Jadidizadeh Department of Comparative Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Keywords: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome; Homocysteine; Body Mass Index; Obesity

Abstract

Objectives: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a prevalent endocrine disorder that significantly impacts women. It is closely associated with metabolic syndrome and obesity. However, the exact interplay between serum homocysteine levels and body mass index (BMI) in PCOS patients remains incompletely understood. In this study, we investigated homocysteine levels in normal-weight and overweight/obese Iranian women with and without PCOS.

Methods: A total of 189 women with PCOS and 86 healthy fertile women were enrolled in the study. The patients and controls were divided according to BMI into two groups as follows: BMI < 25 kg/m² and BMI ≥ 25 kg/m². Blood samples were collected from all participants to assess fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, lipid profile, free testosterone, and homocysteine levels.

Results: BMI, HOMA-IR, fasting insulin, total cholesterol (TC), LDL, and free testosterone levels were significantly elevated in the PCOS group compared with controls. Homocysteine levels were increased in both overweight/obese and normal- weight PCOS groups compared with controls. However, no significant difference was observed in homocysteine levels between overweight/obese and normal-weight PCOS groups.

Conclusion: This study demonstrated that homocysteine levels were notably elevated in women with PCOS, regardless of their BMI

Published
2025-08-10
Section
Articles