---
title: Do women crave different foods at different points in their menstrual cycle?
description: Women craved more chocolate during menstrual flow than at other times. Cravings for sugary, starchy, or lower-carb foods did not vary significantly by cycle p
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/menstrual-cycle-and-food-cravings-in-young-college-women-1987/
---

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- Do women crave different foods at different points in their menstrual cycle?

Cohort study, 1987

# Do women crave different foods at different points in their menstrual cycle?

Women craved more chocolate during menstrual flow than at other times. Cravings for sugary, starchy, or lower-carb foods did not vary significantly by cycle phase.

 Moderate study design

83 young college women

## What they did

Longitudinal study of 83 college women over 6 weeks. Women completed weekly questionnaires about cravings for 32 different foods. The menstrual cycle was divided into four phases: menstrual flow, first half of cycle, second half of cycle, and 1 week premenstrual.

## What they found

Women showed greater preference for chocolate foods during menstrual flow compared to other cycle phases. Cravings for high-sugar foods, high-starch foods, or lower-carbohydrate foods were not significantly affected by menstrual cycle phase.

## What it means for you

If you crave chocolate during your period, that is a normal pattern. However, the wider belief that women crave more sugar and carbohydrates at certain cycle phases is not supported. The study included only college-age women, so results may not apply to all ages.

83

College women studied

6

Weeks of tracking

32

Different foods tracked

## About the study

Original title Menstrual cycle and food cravings in young college women Authors Tomelleri R, Grunewald KK Journal Journal of the American Dietetic Association Year 1987 Study design Cohort study Participants 83 What was tested None, observational study Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/s0002-8223(21)03113-8](https://doi.org/10.1016/s0002-8223(21)03113-8)

## Topics

[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Appetite and food cravings](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-food-cravings/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/)

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