OBJECTIVE

To compare the effectiveness of non-pharmacologic interventions in improving weight loss management in overweight patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

METHODS

Five databases, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Web of Science and China Knowledge, were searched for this study. The Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to assess the risk of bias of eligible studies. The included randomized controlled trials were subjected to traditional meta-analysis (TMA) and network meta-analysis (NMA), and the cumulative number of surfaces under the ranking curve (SUCRA) was calculated for each intervention to derive the optimal intervention.

RESULTS

The study ultimately included 29 articles involving 22 different interventions and 1,565 patients. The results of the NMA showed that the optimal intervention for the four outcome measures (body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-hip ratio (WHR)) was nutritional supplement + low-calorie diet, Taichi, continuous aerobic exercise and Taichi.

CONCLUSION

Current evidence suggests that nutritional supplements + hypocaloric diet; Taichi; continuous aerobic exercise have the greatest clinical advantage in weight loss and deserve to be promoted in the clinic. One of the best interventions for both outcome indicators, Taichi, suggests that it may be a common misconception that simply increasing the intensity of exercise is not the only way to lose weight and improve health.