Non-randomised trial, 2026
Do dietary changes or sun exposure reduce PMS symptoms in adolescent girls?
Yes. Both dietary intervention and sun exposure significantly reduced PMS symptoms compared to health education alone. Sun exposure was slightly more effective, with 52.3% of girls showing clinical improvement compared to 46.5% in the diet group.
What they did
Quasi-experimental study of 130 girls aged 16-18 years with PMS in Indonesia. Three groups: dietary intervention with supervised lunch boxes (600-700 kcal per day), sun exposure (30 minutes, 3 times a week), or health education only. All interventions lasted 8 weeks, conducted October 2024 to April 2025.
What they found
Clinical success rates were 52.3% for sun exposure, 46.5% for diet, and 11.6% for education only (p<0.001). Median PMS scores decreased by 23.0 points (sun), 20.0 points (diet), and 11.0 points (education). Serum vitamin D increased by 1.8 ng/mL in both active groups but declined by 2.1 ng/mL in controls (p<0.001). Strong negative correlation between vitamin D change and PMS reduction (rs=-0.746, p<0.001).
What it means for you
Both interventions worked much better than education alone, apparently by raising vitamin D levels. Sun exposure was slightly more effective and is cheap and practical for school programs. Study was quasi-experimental (not randomized) and conducted in Indonesia with adolescents, so results may differ in other populations.
130
girls with PMS studied
52.3%
clinical success rate with sun exposure
1.8 ng/mL
vitamin D increase in active groups
About the study
- Original title
- Dietary intervention, sun exposure, and health education on premenstrual syndrome severity and serum 25(OH)D among adolescent girls in Palangka Raya, Indonesia
- Authors
- Cia Aprilianti, Antono Suryoputro, Martha Irene Kartasurya et al.
- Journal
- Rawal Medical Journal
- Year
- 2026
- Study design
- Non-randomised trial
- Participants
- 130
- What was tested
- Dietary intervention (600-700 kcal supervised lunches) and sun exposure (30 minutes, 3 times per week), both for 8 weeks
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.5455/rmj.20260213091836
Topics
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