Heat Therapy And PCOS

Obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome may be able to improve health outcomes by enjoying regular sessions in a hot tub. Regular soaks in a hot tub several times weekly for 2 months resulted in improved cardiovascular health measures, beneficial changes in fat tissue, and additional improvements suggesting decreased risk of diabetes and other metabolic disorders. Polycystic ovary syndrome will affect 1 in 10 women of childbearing age, and is a complex endocrine disorder which can be marked by abnormal menstrual cycles, cyst formation on ovaries, and high testosterone levels; associated with increased risk of diabetes, obesity, and infertility, outcomes may be related to dysfunction and inflammation in fat tissue.

Repeated heat exposure was observed to reverse some of the inflammation in fat which may be causing metabolic health impairments, and was observed to improve functional outcomes related to insulin resistance. Researchers are excited by their findings as it means regular hot tub use could be a potential therapy for populations with increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes or other metabolic diseases, adding to the growing body of evidence supporting health benefits of heat therapy. This is the first known study to examine impacts on PCOS and changes in fat tissue before and after heat therapy. Findings from this study were presented at the 2018 Experimental Biology meeting.

6 obese women diagnosed with PCOS underwent 1 hour hot tub sessions 3 times a week for 2 months. Fat tissue samples were taken at beginning of the study and again at the end to be analyzed by the researchers who also tested for insulin sensitivity. The participants showed reductions in fasting glucose, decreased heart rate and blood pressure, as well as other improvements in metabolism and heart health measures. Some of the participants reported having regular menstrual cycles, which suggests heat may help mitigate some underlying physiological processes of PCOS.

Sitting in a hot tub is speculated by the researchers to be able to yield some of the same benefits as exercise as it raises body temperature which triggers increase of blood flow to skin as a cooling mechanism. Exposure to heat triggers increased levels of heat shock proteins to be produced by the body which are involved in decreasing inflammation, repairing damage to insulin receptors and improving blood vessel function and structure, which were found at increased amounts in fat tissue after heat therapy, indicating these proteins may play roles in reducing inflammation and improve insulin sensitivity. Some improvements were observed after one month of regular use, most improvements took 2 full months to become apparent.