--- title: Does folate intake and genes affect premenstrual depression? | Niyora description: Among women eating low folate, those with certain gene types were more likely to have premenstrual depression. Getting enough folate appeared to reduce this r url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/folate-intake-i-mthfr-i-genotype-and-premenstrual-symptoms-2025/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does folate intake and genes affect premenstrual depression? Survey study, 2025 # Does folate intake and genes affect premenstrual depression? Among women eating low folate, those with certain gene types were more likely to have premenstrual depression. Getting enough folate appeared to reduce this risk. Early or limited evidence 678 Canadian women aged 20-29 from Toronto ## What they did Cross-sectional study of 678 women aged 20-29 in Toronto. Researchers measured what women ate using a food questionnaire, focusing on folate. They tested a specific gene (MTHFR) from each woman's DNA. They asked about 15 different PMS symptoms including depression. They compared depression rates between women with low versus high folate intake and different gene types. ## What they found Gene type was related to some PMS symptoms. Among women with low folate intake, those with a specific gene type variant were more likely to have premenstrual depression. Women who had higher folate intake did not show this link between gene type and depression. ## What it means for you Getting enough folate from food may help prevent premenstrual depression, especially for women with certain genes. This is a cross-sectional study so we cannot know if low folate causes depression or the reverse. Also, these women were from Toronto, so the findings may not apply to women in other countries. 678 women studied 647 mcg/d median folate intake 20-29 age range ## About the study Original title Folate intake, MTHFR genotype and premenstrual symptoms Authors Zeitoun T, El-Sohemy A Journal The British journal of nutrition Year 2025 Study design Survey study Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1017/s0007114525103620](https://doi.org/10.1017/s0007114525103620) Original abstract Premenstrual symptoms are a cyclic set of symptoms that affect women's psychological and physical well-being. Growing evidence suggests that micronutrients may contribute to the risk and severity of premenstrual symptoms such as depression. Yet the relationship between folate and premenstrual symptoms remains inconclusive. The objective of this study was to determine the association between folate intake and MTHFR genotype with premenstrual symptoms. Females ( n 678) aged 20-29 years from the Toronto Nutrigenomics and Health Study self-reported fifteen premenstrual symptoms. Dietary intake was measured using a validated 196-item Toronto-modified Harvard food frequency questionnaire. DNA was isolated from peripheral white blood cells and genotyped for the C677T MTHFR (rs1801133) polymorphism. Using logistic regression, the odds of experiencing premenstrual symptoms were compared between total folate intake below and above the median (647 mcg/d) and between MTHFR genotypes. We found associations between MTHFR genotype and some premenstrual symptoms. Among women with low folate intake, an additive association was observed between the Tallele of MTHFR and premenstrual depression. Compared with those with the CC genotype, the OR (95 % CI) for depression was 1·66 (0·98, 2·87) for those with the CT genotype and 2·41 (1·08, 5·38) for those with the TT genotype. No associations were observed between MTHFR genotype and premenstrual depression among those with higher habitual intakes of folate. Since the MTHFR genotype is involved in the folate metabolic pathway, these findings suggest that folate or its metabolites may be related to the risk of premenstrual depression. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/) 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 Cohort study, 2026 What genetic factors are linked to premenstrual symptoms? Systematic review, 2026 How often do mood disorders and PMS or PMDD occur together? Randomised trial, 2026 Does Kundalini Reiki help reduce PMS symptoms and improve quality of life? Cohort study, 2026 Does having PMS before pregnancy increase the risk of postpartum depression? Systematic review, 2026 Does vitamin D supplementation help PMS symptoms? Study, 2026 How do women with PMDD process emotions differently in their brains? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗