Survey study, 2025
Are BMI and diet linked to premenstrual syndrome severity?
Yes. BMI was significantly related to PMS, and nutrition counselling improved PMS symptoms. These findings suggest that paying attention to weight and diet may help reduce PMS.
What they did
Cross-sectional study of 115 young adult women aged 18-26 in India. The researchers measured BMI and dietary patterns using a semi-structured questionnaire, assessed PMS using a validated tool, then provided nutrition counselling to participants with PMS and compared PMS scores before and after using a paired t-test.
What they found
40% of participants had PMS. Of those with PMS, 43% experienced severe symptoms and 57% experienced mild symptoms. The mean BMI of those with PMS was 22.4 kg/m². There was a significant relationship between BMI and PMS score (P<0.05). PMS scores improved significantly after nutrition counselling (P<0.005).
What it means for you
Higher BMI may be linked to worse PMS severity, and improving nutrition through counselling may help reduce symptoms. The main limitations are the cross-sectional design, the lack of a control group for the counselling comparison, and the study being limited to one region of India.
40%
of participants with PMS
22.4 kg/m²
mean BMI for those with PMS
P<0.005
improvement in PMS after nutrition counselling
About the study
- Original title
- Association of premenstrual syndrome with BMI and dietary pattern among young adults
- Authors
- K. N. Ganavi, M Ragavi
- Journal
- International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health
- Year
- 2025
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 115
- What was tested
- Nutrition counselling
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20253682
Topics
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