Case-control study, 2019
Do women with PMS eat fewer vegetables, especially cruciferous vegetables?
Yes. Women with PMS eat significantly fewer cruciferous vegetables than women without PMS. Women eating the highest amount of cruciferous vegetables had lower odds of having PMS.
What they did
Researchers studied 307 female nurses in Iran (156 with PMS, 151 without) from March to October 2014. They measured how much of different types of vegetables each woman ate using a detailed food questionnaire.
What they found
Women without PMS ate an average of 6.8 plus or minus 3.9 grams of cruciferous vegetables daily, compared to 4.0 plus or minus 3.3 grams for women with PMS. This was a clear and significant difference. Women eating the largest amount of cruciferous vegetables had lower odds of having PMS compared to those eating the least. Total vegetable intake was not as strongly linked to PMS as cruciferous vegetables specifically.
What it means for you
Eating more cruciferous vegetables may help prevent or reduce PMS symptoms. These vegetables contain compounds that may be protective. The study only shows a link, not that vegetables directly cause the protection. Women who eat more vegetables may also have other healthy habits. The study was done with nurses in Iran, so the findings may not apply to other groups.
156
nurses with PMS
151
nurses without PMS
6.8 vs 4.0 grams
cruciferous vegetables daily (no PMS vs PMS)
About the study
- Original title
- Comparison of Vegetable Intake in Nurses with and without Premenstrual Syndrome: A Case-Control Study
- Authors
- Khatereh Babakhani, Gity Sotoudeh, Fereydoun Siassi et al.
- Journal
- Shiraz E-Medical Journal
- Year
- 2019
- Study design
- Case-control study
- Participants
- 156
- What was tested
- None - dietary observational study
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.5812/semj.91319
Topics
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