Inositol is a B-vitamin-like substance with documented benefits to blood-sugar regulation, PCOS management (including promoting ovulation) and alleviating low mood and anxiousness, by improving the sensitivity of hormone and neurotransmitter receptors.
Despite all of these great benefits, inositol is something I have shied away from due to the lack of high-quality research on its effects during pregnancy. However, a recent analysis of three randomized controlled trials of myo-inositol treatment during pregnancy has showed promising results. Treatment with four grams per day in women at risk for gestational diabetes (GDM) was associated with decreased rates of GDM, decreased risk of pre-term birth and decreased macrosomia (significantly larger than average fetuses).
This news is very promising and I look forward to further research on the safe and effective use of inositol during pregnancy!
I hope you have found this helpful, and do let me know if you have any questions!
If you are hungry for more evidence-based information in your pregnancy, sign up for my free webinar: 7 Pregnancy Myths Debunked – and get the information you need to have a healthy pregnancy and a thriving baby.
And if you are a care-provider looking for evidence-based resources for your pregnant patients, please get in touch with us at support@myhealthypregnancyplan.com.
In health,
Dr Jocelyn Land-Murphy, ND
Terra Life
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References:
Levine, J. et al. (1995). Double-blind, controlled trial of inositol treatment of depression. Am J Psychiatry, 152(5): 792-4.
Palatnik, A. et al. (2001). Double-blind, controlled, crossover trial of inositol versus fluvoxamine for the treatment of panic disorder. J Clin Psychopharmacol, 21(3): 335-9.
Pizzo A., Laganà A.S., and Barbaro L. (2014). Comparison between effects of myo-inositol and D-chiro-inositol on ovarian function and metabolic factors in women with PCOS. Gynecol Endocrinol 2014; 30(3): 205-8.
Sacchinelli, A. et al. (2014). The efficacy of inositol and N-acetyl cysteine administration (Ovaric HP) in improving the ovarian function in infertile women with PCOS with or without insulin resistance. Obstet Gynecol Int, 2014:141020.
Santamaria, A. et al. (2018). Clinical and metabolic outcomes in pregnant women at risk for gestational diabetes mellitus supplemented with myo-inositol: a secondary analysis from 3 RCTs. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2018.