Relationship Between Fat-soluble Vitamins and Premature Ovarian Failure: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a major concern in women's health. It is hypothesized that a deficiency in fat-soluble vitamins might result in POI; however, this relationship has not been extensively evaluated. Objectives: This systematic review was designed to elucidate the relationship between fat-soluble vitamin serum levels and POI. Methods: This systematic review was conducted on international databases, including Scopus, National Library of Medicine (PubMed), and Web of Science (ISI) databases, along with Google Scholar, until June 2022. This review was conducted on case reports, case series, cross-sectional, cohort, and case-control studies (observational studies) published in English and Persian in peer-reviewed journals that assessed the association between serum levels of fat-soluble vitamins and POI. Results: Of the 10,029 retrieved articles, 5 (N = 3,443 subjects) were included in the review. The results of the reviewed articles were inconsistent in terms of the relationship between serum vitamin D and A levels and POI; however, vitamin D binding protein and vitamin A/total cholesterol ratio might be related to POI. Serum vitamin E was associated with POI based on the findings of one study. Discussion: This review showed that the serum levels of fat-soluble vitamins might predict POI. However, there was an insufficient number of studies to document the findings. If approved in further studies, these vitamins and their binding proteins can be evaluated in high-risk POI patients.