Sophy, designed to address the symptoms of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) in women, utilizes itsย keyย ingredient, Berberine Phytosome, which hasย been developedย using technology to enhance absorption, which the company says makes it ten times more effective than berberine alone.ย
The product was chosen by theย judges’ย panel, who said:ย โPCOS affects millions of women worldwide and requires comprehensive understanding and tailored treatment approaches. Sophy had theย โX-factorโย in serving this often overlooked condition.โ
Elena Fava, international product manager at PharmExtractaย SpA,ย gave thanks toย the judges, stating:ย โThis is a great recognition that gives value to our daily work and our great dedication to the innovation in this field.โ
Improved bioavailabilityโ
PCOS is a prevalent endocrine disorder that affects 5-15% of women of reproductive age and can contribute to infertility, type-2 diabetes, and mental health disorders such asย anxiety and depressionโ.
Diagnosis requires two out of three featuresโ: menstrual disturbance, hyperandrogenism, and multifollicular ovarian morphology. Hyperandrogenism is a hormonal imbalance that is key to PCOS and can lead to various reproductive, dermatologic, metabolic, and psychological symptoms.
Current treatment goalsโย focusย on enhancing fertility, regulating menstruation, and managing metabolicย issues,ย using lifestyle changes and medications.
Howeverย botanical extracts,ย in particular berberine,ย have shown effectiveness in improvingย PCOS symptomsโย by addressing insulin resistance and androgen levels.ย However, berberineโsย poor bioavailabilityโย has limited its use.
Yetย Berberineย Phytosome has been found to significantly improve absorption, featuring phospholipids that incorporate berberine and enhance its absorption, overcoming glycoprotein-P blockage.
PCOS results
Sophyย aims to alleviate PCOS symptoms such as irregular menstrual cycles, ovarian polycystosis, andย acne and improve overall quality of life.ย Recent researchโย found the Berberine Phytosome ingredient had positive effects in women with PCOS.
In a recent randomized controlled trial,ย the effect of daily Sophy supplementation was assessedย in women diagnosed with PCOS.
The enrollment involved 106 women aged 18.5 – 35ย whoย wereย dividedย into twoย groups;ย 51 women treated with diet + Sophy (two tablets/day) for three months, and 55 women on diet alone (control) for three months.
Results showed that in the Sophy group, there was an 80% decrease in the number of patients with menstrual disorders, aย 70% decrease in the number of patients with ovarianย polycystosis, and a 55% decrease in the number of patients with acne.
As Fava explained, results showed no significant difference in side effects between the treated group and the control.
Yetย asย Fava added, while the product has the potential to offer solutions to consumers with PCOS, PharmExtracta must be careful about the promotion of Sophy due to claim regulation.ย
โWe are promoting a food supplement, not a drug, and we depend on medical professionals to recommend it,โย she noted.
โThe only approved claim for Berberine is that it promotes cardiometabolic health, so we emphasize that this product is not an alternative to standard therapy but can be used as a complementary or alternative option if standard care is ineffective.โ