Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome was not associated with worse lipoprotein or inflammatory glycoprotein profiles in women with Type 1 diabetes, according to a cross-sectional study.
Researchers evaluated 147 premenopausal women with Type 1 diabetes (T1D), including 30 with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) and 117 without the condition.
Lipoprotein and inflammatory glycoprotein profiles were characterised using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (proton NMR) spectroscopy.
The researchers also compared women with both T1D and PMOS with 293 women who had PMOS without T1D, including 249 with normal glucose tolerance and 44 with abnormal glucose tolerance.
After adjustment for age and age at diabetes diagnosis, no significant differences were identified in lipoprotein or glycoprotein variables between women with T1D with or without PMOS.
An initial increase in very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol lost significance after adjustment for confounding factors.
Clear differences emerged when women with both conditions were compared with women who had PMOS alone.
Women with abnormal glucose tolerance and PMOS showed higher concentrations of VLDL cholesterol, VLDL triglycerides, and VLDL particle numbers, alongside lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol concentrations.
By contrast, women with T1D and PMOS had higher concentrations of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and HDL cholesterol, increased total and medium HDL particle numbers, and larger LDL particles.
However, they also showed the highest levels of small HDL particles and the smallest average HDL particle size among the groups studied.
Inflammatory glycoproteins were significantly elevated in women with T1D and PMOS and in those with abnormal glucose tolerance and PMOS, compared with women with PMOS and normal glucose tolerance.
The study also identified strong correlations between inflammatory glycoproteins and VLDL-related measures in specific sub-groups, suggesting links between inflammation and lipid metabolism.
Overall, the findings indicated that coexisting PMOS did not worsen circulating lipoprotein or inflammatory glycoprotein profiles in women with T1D.
Nevertheless, the presence of potentially harmful HDL sub-classes may warrant further investigation.
The researchers concluded that prospective studies are needed to clarify the long-term cardiovascular implications of hyperandrogenism and PMOS in women with T1D.
Reference
Bayona Cebada A et al. Lipoprotein and inflammatory glycoprotein profiles in women with polycystic ovary syndrome alone or in association with type 1 diabetes. Sci Rep. 2026;DOI:10.1038/s41598-026-62157-3
Featured image: (JLco) Julia Amaral on Adobe Stock
Each article is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 License.
