--- title: Does PMS affect what women eat and their feelings about food? description: Yes. Women with PMS ate significantly more packaged processed foods and fast food during their period, and also had stronger emotional responses to food. Regu url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/association-between-premenstrual-syndrome-emotional-appetite-and-food-choices-in-2026/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does PMS affect what women eat and their feelings about food? Survey study, 2026 # Does PMS affect what women eat and their feelings about food? Yes. Women with PMS ate significantly more packaged processed foods and fast food during their period, and also had stronger emotional responses to food. Regular breakfast was less common in the PMS group. Early or limited evidence 328 female university students aged 18-30 in Faculty of Health Sciences with PMS ## What they did Cross-sectional survey of 400 female university students aged 18-30. They completed questionnaires about PMS symptoms, emotional appetite (eating in response to feelings), and food choices. ## What they found 82% of students (328 women) had PMS. Those with PMS were slightly older (median 21 vs 20 years). The PMS group had higher emotional appetite scores for both negative emotions (47.32 vs 40.95) and positive emotions (50.69 vs 41.21). During menstruation, women with PMS had 1.99 times higher odds of eating packaged processed foods and 2.15 times higher odds of eating fast food. Regular breakfast consumption was 0.50 times lower in the PMS group. ## What it means for you PMS is linked to emotional eating and dietary changes during menstruation. However, the study is limited to university students in a health program and cannot prove PMS causes these changes. The findings may not apply to all women. 82% Prevalence of PMS in the sample 1.99 Times higher odds of eating packaged processed foods 2.15 Times higher odds of eating fast food ## About the study Original title Association Between Premenstrual Syndrome, Emotional Appetite, and Food Choices in Faculty of Health Sciences Students: A Cross-Sectional Study Authors Eren Canbolat, Nisa Gök, Emre Duman Journal Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics Year 2026 Study design Survey study Participants 328 What was tested None Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.33076/2026.bdd.2082](https://doi.org/10.33076/2026.bdd.2082) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Appetite and food cravings](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-food-cravings/)[Psychotherapy, counselling and education](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-psychotherapy/)[Diet and nutrition](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-diet/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Survey study, 2025 Is emotional eating linked to PMS in university women? Survey study, 2019 What causes severe PMS in female college students with disabilities? Survey study, 2026 What patterns of mood changes and food cravings occur during the menstrual cycle in college students? Survey study, 2026 How common is PMS in Yemen and what lifestyle factors affect it? Survey study, 2022 Is body weight linked to PMS in teenage girls? Survey study, 2012 Do women with PMS eat more food before their period? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗