--- title: Is negative mood during the menstrual cycle linked to what women eat? description: Yes. Women with higher negative mood during menstruation drank more tea, black coffee, and carbonated drinks. Women with higher negative mood before their per url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/negative-mood-is-associated-with-diet-and-dietary-antioxidants-in-university-2019/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Is negative mood during the menstrual cycle linked to what women eat? Survey study, 2019 # Is negative mood during the menstrual cycle linked to what women eat? Yes. Women with higher negative mood during menstruation drank more tea, black coffee, and carbonated drinks. Women with higher negative mood before their period ate more bananas and red Chinese dates. Early or limited evidence 88 female university students in Guangzhou, China ## What they did They surveyed 88 female university students about what they ate and their mood during different phases of the menstrual cycle using self-administered questionnaires. ## What they found During menstruation, women with higher negative mood reported drinking more tea, black coffee, and carbonated beverages than women with lower negative mood. In the week before their period, higher negative mood was associated with eating more bananas and red Chinese dates. ## What it means for you These findings suggest that diet may be linked to mood changes during the menstrual cycle. However, this is a snapshot from one university in China, so we don't know if diet causes the mood changes, if mood changes cause diet choices, or if these findings apply elsewhere. 88 university students surveyed ## About the study Original title Negative Mood Is Associated with Diet and Dietary Antioxidants in University Students During the Menstrual Cycle: A Cross-Sectional Study from Guangzhou, China Authors Bu L, Lai Y, Deng Y et al. Journal Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) Year 2019 Study design Survey study Participants 88 What was tested Diet and caffeine intake Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.3390/antiox9010023](https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox9010023) Original abstract Postpubescent females may have negative mood or premenstrual syndrome during the menstrual cycle; with the emotional and physical symptoms interfering with their quality of life. Little is known about the relationship of dietary behaviors and dietary antioxidant intake with negative mood or premenstrual syndrome in university students in China; so we explored the relationship between negative mood and dietary behavior in female university students during the three menstrual cycle phases. Random sampling was used to enroll 88 individuals from a university in Guangzhou; China in the study. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires. Descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed. During the menstrual phase, tea, black coffee and carbonated beverage intake was higher in the group with a high negative affect scale score than in the low score group ( p p p = 0.0453, odds ratio = 1.23), and negative mood was positively associated with banana and red Chinese dates intake during the premenstrual phase (β = 0.59, p = 0.0172, odds ratio = 1.81). Our results suggest that negative mood may be associated with diet and specific food in university postpubescent females. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Diet and nutrition](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-diet/)[Relationships and partners](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-relationships/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/) 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 Survey study, 2025 Do certain nutrients and body weight affect PMS? Survey study, 2019 What causes severe PMS in female college students with disabilities? Survey study, 2025 Does caffeine affect the menstrual cycle? Survey study, 2022 Is body weight linked to PMS in teenage girls? Survey study, 2017 Is PMS linked to personality temperament types? Survey study, 2026 What dietary, lifestyle, and psychological factors are associated with PMS in young women? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗