Survey study, 2016
Do vitamin B1 and calcium reduce PMS symptoms?
Yes. Both vitamin B1 and calcium reduced physical PMS symptoms more than placebo after 2 months. Calcium was better at reducing mood-related symptoms, while both worked equally on physical symptoms.
What they did
Triple-blind clinical trial with 210 female university students in Iran who had PMS. Participants were randomly divided into three groups of 70 people each. One group took 100mg vitamin B1 daily, one took calcium pills daily, and one took placebo. Everyone took their pills for 2 months.
What they found
All three groups reported reduced PMS symptom intensity (P<0.05), but the vitamin B1 and calcium groups improved more than placebo (P<0.05). Vitamin B1 and calcium reduced physical symptoms equally well, but calcium was more effective for psychological symptoms.
What it means for you
Both supplements may help with PMS, with calcium potentially better for mood symptoms. The study was limited to one university and only lasted 2 months, so longer-term benefits are unknown.
210
female students with PMS
100mg
vitamin B1 dose
2 months
treatment duration
About the study
- Original title
- Comparing the Effects of Vitamin B1 and Calcium on Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) among Female Students, Ilam- Iran
- Authors
- Soheila Samieipour, Faezeh Kiani, Yazdan Samiei pour et al.
- Journal
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals)
- Year
- 2016
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 210
- What was tested
- Vitamin B1 100mg daily, calcium daily, or placebo for 2 months
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.22038/ijp.2016.7345
Topics
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