--- title: Does plant protein in the diet help prevent PMS from affecting athletic performance? description: Possibly. Athletes whose PMS affects performance ate a lower proportion of plant protein compared to animal protein, though total protein intake was the same. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/low-proportion-of-dietary-plant-protein-among-athletes-with-premenstrual-2018/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does plant protein in the diet help prevent PMS from affecting athletic performance? Survey study, 2018 # Does plant protein in the diet help prevent PMS from affecting athletic performance? Possibly. Athletes whose PMS affects performance ate a lower proportion of plant protein compared to animal protein, though total protein intake was the same. Early or limited evidence 135 female university athletes aged 18-23 in Japan ## What they did Cross-sectional survey of 135 female university athletes aged 18-23 in Japan. Researchers compared the diet of 18 athletes whose PMS affected performance to 117 whose PMS did not, looking at plant and animal protein intake. ## What they found Among athletes with PMS-related performance problems, animal protein intake averaged 50.6g and plant protein averaged 25.4g (39.3% of total). Among athletes without PMS problems, animal protein was 34.9g and plant protein was 26.9g (45.9% of total). Total protein intake was the same in both groups. ## What it means for you Athletes with PMS-affecting performance ate relatively less plant protein. Eating more plant protein may help prevent PMS from affecting athletic performance, but the sample with problems was very small (18 athletes) and this is correlational only. 39.3% Plant protein proportion with PMS impairment 45.9% Plant protein proportion without PMS impairment 18 Athletes with PMS-related performance impairment ## About the study Original title Low Proportion of Dietary Plant Protein among Athletes with Premenstrual Syndrome-Related Performance Impairment Authors Yamada K, Takeda T Journal The Tohoku journal of experimental medicine Year 2018 Study design Survey study Participants 117 What was tested None (observational study) Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1620/tjem.244.119](https://doi.org/10.1620/tjem.244.119) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Diet and nutrition](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-diet/)[Quality of life and daily functioning](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-quality-of-life/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/)[Athletes and sport](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-athletes/) 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 Systematic review, 2025 How common are PMS, PMDD, and painful periods in nursing students, and do they affect their schooling? Randomised trial, 2026 Can nutrition education reduce PMS severity? Survey study, 2023 How common is PMS in female college students and does it affect quality of life? Survey study, 2019 What lifestyle and sleep habits are linked to PMS in teenage girls? Survey study, 2019 What diet and lifestyle factors are linked to PMS in university students? Survey study, 2019 What causes severe PMS in female college students with disabilities? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗