Survey study, 2020
Does the relationship between mood and alcohol drinking change depending on progesterone levels?
Women were more likely to drink on days when mood was negative and progesterone was falling. Women with consistently lower mood throughout the cycle did not show this pattern and were more likely to drink regardless of progesterone changes.
What they did
Young adult women completed questionnaires and provided saliva samples for progesterone measurement at two sessions two weeks apart. Between sessions, they kept daily logs of mood, alcohol use, and menstrual periods. Researchers analyzed how progesterone changes, daily mood, and alcohol drinking were linked.
What they found
Higher progesterone levels were linked with less drinking. This protective effect was only present on days when mood was positive. Women drank more on days with negative mood when progesterone was falling. Women with lower overall mood during the two weeks did not benefit from rising progesterone and were more likely to drink even when progesterone increased.
What it means for you
For some women, rising progesterone may protect against drinking when mood is negative. Women with consistently low mood or baseline depression and anxiety do not show this protective effect. The study lasted only two weeks and included young women, so findings may not apply to all age groups.
2 weeks
study duration with daily tracking
1.61
decrease in drinking likelihood per standard deviation increase in progesterone
About the study
- Original title
- Fluctuations in progesterone moderate the relationship between daily mood and alcohol use in young adult women
- Authors
- Holzhauer CG, Wemm SE, Wulfert E et al.
- Journal
- Addictive behaviors
- Year
- 2020
- Study design
- Survey study
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.106146
Topics
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