--- title: Does how much women eat change during the menstrual cycle? | Niyora description: Yes. Women eat more, especially fat, during the later part of their cycle. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/energy-regulation-over-the-menstrual-cycle-1994/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does how much women eat change during the menstrual cycle? Study, 1994 # Does how much women eat change during the menstrual cycle? Yes. Women eat more, especially fat, during the later part of their cycle. Moderate study design 26 normal weight women with no eating disorders ## What they did 26 women without eating disorders tracked their food, exercise, and eating patterns for one complete menstrual cycle. Their hormone levels were measured to identify three cycle phases. ## What they found Energy intake increased 685.9 kJ/day during the later (luteal) phase compared to the earlier phases. Fat intake increased by 2% during the luteal phase, which equals 9.2 g/day more fat. Protein and carbohydrate percentages stayed relatively constant. ## What it means for you Women naturally eat more when their hormones change in the second half of the cycle, particularly more fat. This wasn't caused by changes in exercise or dietary control. The study looked at only one cycle in each woman, so we don't know if this happens every cycle. 685.9 kJ/day increase in energy intake 2% increase in fat intake 9.2 g/day additional fat consumed ## About the study Original title Energy regulation over the menstrual cycle Authors Johnson WG, Corrigan SA, Lemmon CR et al. Journal Physiology & behavior Year 1994 Study design Study What was tested None Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/0031-9384(94)90296-8](https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9384(94)90296-8) ## Topics [Exercise and yoga](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-exercise/)[Diet and nutrition](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-diet/)[Eating disorders](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-eating-disorders/) 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 Review, 2021 Why do periods stop when you're stressed or eating poorly? Review, 1998 What does research say about diagnosing and treating PMS and PMDD? Cohort study, 2026 Do sleep, exercise, and diet quality affect period pain, heavy bleeding, and PMS in midlife? Systematic review, 2025 How common are PMS, PMDD, and painful periods in nursing students, and do they affect their schooling? Study, 2002 Which PMS treatments have good scientific evidence? Review, 2001 What are PMS and PMDD, and how are they treated? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗