PCOS sugar cravings: Understanding the connection and finding a healthier alternative

In a nutshell

PCOS sugar cravings are intense and persistent urges to consume sugar-high food. Typically, these urgest in PCOS females are caused by insulin resistance and hormonal imbalances, though they can also be triggered by additional environmental and emotional factors. Although PCOS cravings can be pretty intense, it’s generally recommended that women with this syndrome limit sugar intake significantly (to 25-45 grams per day), luckily, you can use alternative natural sweeteners, such as:

• Stevia
• Raw honey
• Maple syrup

When you were diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), you were likely told that sugar is bad for you and you should stick to a sugar-free diet now. While this is a rather common recommendation, we bet it must sound daunting, especially if you have to deal with regular PCOS sugar cravings.

Struggling to lose weight with PCOS? Take our quiz now to find a personalized solution just for you >>

Understanding PCOS sugar cravings

So you’ve been diagnosed with PCOS. As you should already know, PCOS is a hormonal condition that affects the work of your ovaries and, thus, your menstrual cycle and hormonal balance. You should also know that PCOS is broadly associated with other health conditions, including insulin resistance, diabetes, metabolic problems, and others, which typically demand women with PCOS to refine their diets and choose healthier nutrition.

One of the first things women with this syndrome are recommended to give up on is sugar. Yet, it often turns out to be easier said than done because as many as 99% of people with PCOS report having intense and persistent PCOS sugar cravings.

So what are PCOS cravings and what causes them? In a nutshell, sugar cravings are intense urges to eat sugar-high foods. The two most common reasons behind these urges are:

• Insulin resistance affects around 65-70% of women with PCOS. It appears due to abnormalities in insulin receptor functioning and can lead to a range of problems, including hyperglycemia, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and others. So does insulin resistance make you crave sugar? Often, yes. Insulin resistance typically means high levels of circulating insulin, which causes your blood sugar levels to decrease. This, in turn, can make your body urge you to eat something sweet to increase sugar levels.
• Hormonal imbalance is another common symptom of PCOS in females. Cysts that hinder the work of ovaries affect the amount of hormones produced in them. As a result, women with PCOS typically have disrupted levels of male and female hormones. These imbalances are known to affect serotonin levels and cause mood swings. Respectively, they can cause PCOS cravings by urging you to eat something sweet to improve your mental state.

What is the recommended PCOS sugar intake per day?

When you have to live with persistent PCOS cravings, eliminating sweets from your diet completely may sound like torture. But do you really have to cut out the sugar completely? - In fact, multiple dietary and medical guidelines say that you don’t. However, they greatly limit the amount of sugar you can eat safely.

So what’s the safe PCOS sugar intake per day? The recommendations vary slightly depending on the authority that issues them. Thus, in the US Dietary Guidelines, emphasis is put on added sugars - those that are hidden in different foods that we eat and can often be consumed unnoticed, significantly increasing your daily sugar intake. It’s recommended to cut these down to up to 10% of your total daily calorie count. In contrast, currently, people in the US have added sugar to make 62-66% of their daily calories.

Following this recommendation, in a 1,800-calorie diet, the recommended amount of sugar should be limited to 45 grams.

If you look at the recommendations by the American Heart Organization (AHA) the guidelines are even stricter. AHA recommends that daily sugar intake for a woman should be restricted by 100 calories (25 grams). In contrast, currently, an average American is consuming 88 grams of sugar per day.

As you can see, the recommendations might sound pretty strict if you compare them to our habitual sugar intake. Also, we have to note that the recommendations provided above are generalized and meant for all people. That is, females with PCOS might need to be even more cautious both about the sugar they consume and the added sugar they might be eating unknowingly. Luckily, there might be some alternatives that can ease this for you.

PCOS sugar substitutes: What alternatives are safer?

When you hear that you might have to reduce your daily sugar intake, especially if you have a sweet tooth, artificial sweeteners and similar solutions should probably be the first things to pop up in your mind for an alternative.

So what do you need to know about artificial sweeteners and their benefits/risks? In a nutshell, artificial sweeteners, like aspartame, saccharin, or acesulfame k are chemical compounds created in a lab. They are made to taste similar to sugar (though they can be 200-700 times sweeter) but have fewer calories, making them seemingly the only option for people with blood glucose, insulin, or weight issues.

In reality, however, artificial sweeteners are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as food additives. That is, they may not contain many calories or sugar but they also don't bring any beneficial nutrients to the table. The studies on their benefits/hazards are still ongoing so it’s generally recommended to keep their intake limited and infrequent.

Okay, so what about safe alternatives? We made a list of the main options to help you find the best sweetener for PCOS:

1. Stevia

Stevia is a sweetener that is 50 to 300 times sweeter than table sugar. Today, it still may not be the most popular sweetener, though it’s actually shown to offer more benefits than artificial sweeteners or sugar.

The important thing about stevia is that it’s a natural compound. It’s extracted from the leaves of the plant called Stevia rebaudiana. Furthermore, stevia is found to have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects. It has been used to control and treat various metabolic diseases, including diabetes, which makes it a worthy substitution to try.

However, keep in mind that not all stevia extracts and products containing it are high-quality and beneficial. So read the label carefully and choose only quality products.

2. Raw honey

The oldest option out there - raw honey has been used as an alternative sweetener for years, which could make it the best sweetener for PCOS. There are a few things you should know about honey:

• It’s generally better than sugar because of the additional compounds it has, such as antioxidants that protect your cells and carbohydrates that you need for energy.
• Studies found that honey is a rather powerful immune-modulatory agent. It has two effects on your body - stimulates the production of inflammatory mediators and downregulates the inflammatory transcription factors. Thus, it can be used for reducing inflammation, which is an added benefit for PCOS women. 
• Lastly, honey is generally known to have a lower glycemic index, which means that it doesn’t affect your blood sugar levels as much as regular sugar. Besides, it’s sweeter, meaning that you may eat less of it, and, yet, it has fewer calories.

3. Maple syrup

Speaking about healthier and safer PCOS sugar substitutes, we can’t avoid mentioning this product that can be found in many of our homes.  Maple syrup is also a natural product, which makes it a better solution than artificial sweeteners. Besides, this product is sweeter than sugar, which is why you may need less of it to satisfy your cravings and it has a lower glycemic index as well.

Yet, one thing you should know about maple syrup is that its colors matter a lot. Studies have found that darker maple syrups contain more beneficial bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols. Polyphenols are known for their diverse health benefits. Namely, they 

• Improve heart health
• Regulate blood sugar
• Act as antioxidants
• Increase insulin sensitivity
• Improve gut health

Based on these findings, we can say that maple syrup could become a good alternative to address your PCOS sugar cravings. However, it’s important to note that just like any other sweetener, it needs to be used in moderation.

Conclusion

PCOS sugar cravings are common. Yet, they often feel rather daunting to women with PCOS because these intense urges can create additional physical and emotional pressure that can greatly affect your quality of life.

Luckily, now you know that you’re not alone there and, moreover, that there are solutions that you can try. Although the amount of table and added sugar intake should be limited in PCOS, there are natural sweeteners like stevia, raw honey, and maple syrup that can help you satisfy your sweet tooth without damaging your health.