For months, 42-year-old Abi Twomlow had been suffering with brain fog, bloating and near-constant sugar cravings that she feared would cause her weight to balloon.
At first, the mother-of-two brushed off her symptoms, thinking they were down to being postnatal following the birth of her second child, but they soon became so debilitating they prompted a trip to her GP.
‘It was getting to the point where I just couldn’t remember why I walked into a room. It felt like I had early-onset dementia,’ says Abi, a psychotherapist from Staffordshire.
‘I was suffering from bloating, and I felt like I was snacking on bars of chocolate all day long.’
Her GP was quick to diagnose her with perimenopause: the early stages of the mid-life fall in female sex hormones.
He recommended that Abi should start to take hormone replacement therapy (HRT). However, first, he wanted to carry out some blood tests to rule out other possible causes.
These tests, Abi was told, would take three weeks.
However, her symptoms were so severe that this felt like far too long to wait for treatment.
Abi Twomlow found that inositol banished her cravings after following the advice of ChatGPT
So, desperate for a solution, last month Abi turned to the AI chatbot ChatGPT – which studies show can answer basic medical questions – for advice.
And ChatGPT had some surprising advice: take a daily 30p supplement called inositol.
Abi says she had never heard of inositol before. But the chatbot was insistent that she give it a go.
ChatGPT explained that the supplement, made from a type of sugar, could regulate blood sugar levels, rebalance hormones and even improve brain function.
‘It told me taking inositol would be a “gamechanger”,’ says Abi. ‘And that this was the “one thing people do not know about”.’
Abi began taking a daily 1g capsule of inositol that she purchased from a High Street pharmacy.
She says that, four weeks after she began taking it, her symptoms have largely disappeared.
‘I have been really impressed with it – even my GP was surprised as they had never heard of it,’ says Abi.
‘My sugar cravings are so much better. I hadn’t put much weight on yet but I knew that I couldn’t go on like this, so it has made a big difference. And the brain fog also cleared within the first week.
‘It has definitely delayed me going on HRT for now, until I see symptoms come back.’
Now experts say that the cheap pill can be helpful for a range of women’s problems, from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) to gestational diabetes, and can even improve the chances of fertility for women who want to conceive.
‘Not enough women, or doctors, know about the effects that inositol can have,’ says Professor Shakila Thangaratinam, a women’s health expert at the University of Liverpool.
‘We need larger studies to prove the extent of the impact, but we do know that it is safe for women to take and, when used alongside medication, can be really effective, particularly for PCOS.’
So what is inositol? And who might benefit from it?
Inositol, also known as vitamin B8, is a form of sugar the body naturally produces to provide structure to cells.
Abi says that the supplement has delayed her going on HRT
It can also be found in certain foods, including meat, fruits, corn, beans, grains and legumes. The average British diet contains 1g of inositol a day.
However, consuming less than this can lead to insulin resistance.
This is when the body loses the ability to transport sugar to cells, which leads to unhealthy blood sugar levels. Studies show that, over time, high blood sugar levels can lead to weight loss, as well as raising the risk of serious health problems such as diabetes, liver disease and heart problems.
Researchers theorise that inositol supplements help to manage insulin levels by boosting the ability of cells to absorb sugar more efficiently. This, in turn, should help lower blood sugar levels.
Studies show that inositol appears to be most effective when used to treat PCOS, a hormone disorder that affects millions of women across Britain.
One in ten women are estimated to have the condition, which can cause facial hair growth, irregular periods and weight gain.
An analysis of nine trials published in 2017 concluded that women with PCOS who took inositol for more than 24 weeks were more likely to see metabolic improvements – such as loss of weight and reduced blood sugar – than those who did not.
‘We previously thought of PCOS as a condition of the ovaries but it is actually a metabolic condition, meaning it has some degree of connection to insulin resistance,’ says Professor Thangaratinam.
A 2022 review of 15 studies found that people lost roughly three pounds after around six weeks on the supplement, with women with PCOS more likely to lose weight when taking inositol.
Experts say that it may also help combat discomfort during the menopause.
A 2022 review of 15 studies found that people lost around three pounds after around six weeks on the supplement
‘Another indirect effect of managing blood sugar spikes is that it may help women manage menopause symptoms,’ says Molly Arnold, a nutritionist specialising in women’s health at Holland and Barrett. ‘It seems to help improve sleep quality and reduce brain fog.’
However, there is currently limited research on the supplement’s potential benefit for women with menopause.
One small study of 200 menopausal women over six months in 2024 found taking inositol in combination with soy and chocolate did lead to a reduction in hot flushes.
Experts say that one of the biggest benefits of inositol is its ability to boost fertility.
‘There is real potential that inositol could improve the chances of conception for women – particularly those with PCOS,’ says Professor Thangaratinam.
‘We know that inositol helps regulate ovulation and hormone balance, which is why it would have this effect. At the moment this data is observational but if we can show this in large-scale studies it would be a gamechanger.’
Research shows that inositol can also be beneficial during pregnancy.
A 2022 analysis of seven trials found that taking inositol while pregnant reduced the risk of gestational diabetes – a form of the blood sugar disease that can arise during pregnancy – by 68 per cent.
Untreated, gestational disabetes can raise the risk of autism and birth complications in children.
Some experts say that inositol can also help with mood and mental health conditions. However, the research supporting this is limited – but experts say this theory holds weight. This is because research appears to show that inositol plays a role in the brain releasing serotonin – the so-called happy hormone.
Studies have also shown that people with depression and bipolar have low levels of inositol in the brain.
However, experts add that research is yet to show that this means inositol supplementation helps relieve symptoms.
‘When women do see an improvement of their mental health, it is likely a result of a rebalancing of their hormones,’ says Professor Thangaratinam. ‘Inositol offers promise for so many women but we really need large-scale trials to show its impact.’
While experts say more research in needed, Abi gives the supplement high praise, saying: ‘It has changed everything within weeks.’
