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Survey study, 2026

Does eating foods that cause inflammation link to worse food cravings and mood problems in women with PMS?

The study found that eating more fat and saturated fat linked to more food cravings. The abstract cuts off before showing complete results about mood and inflammation.

Early or limited evidence 214 women aged 18-55 years with PMS in Turkey

What they did

432 women aged 18-55 were screened. 214 with PMS completed surveys about food cravings, mood (depression, anxiety, stress), and a 3-day food diary. The researchers calculated an inflammatory diet score (DII) from the food records.

What they found

49.5% of screened women had PMS. Among women with PMS, more food cravings linked to higher body weight, BMI, and eating more energy, fat, carbohydrates, and saturated fat. The results for links between diet inflammation and mood are not shown in this abstract.

What it means for you

What women eat might affect food cravings during PMS. The study was cross-sectional so cannot prove diet causes cravings. We do not know from this abstract whether changing diet would help PMS. The abstract is incomplete.

49.5%

PMS prevalence among screened women

214

Women with PMS included in analysis

432

Initial screening sample

About the study

Original title
Relationships Between the Dietary Inflammatory Index, Food Cravings, and Mood States in Women with Premenstrual Syndrome
Authors
Şule Bulut, Yağmur Demirel Özbek
Journal
İzmir Katip Çelebi Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Fakültesi Dergisi
Year
2026
Study design
Survey study
Participants
432
What was tested
Dietary patterns measured from 3-day food records
Open access
Yes
Original abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the inflammatory potential of diet using the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) and to examine the effects of diet-induced inflammation on food craving and mood status (depression, anxiety, and stress) in individuals with premenstrual syndrome (PMS).Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 432 women aged between 18 and 55 years. The Premenstrual Syndrome Scale was administered to all participants, and on the basis of this evaluation, the data of 214 women diagnosed with PMS were included in the study. Data were collected face-to-face via a questionnaire consisting of a sociodemographic form, the Food Craving Questionnaire-Trait Reduced, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 and a 3-day dietary intake record. The DII was calculated from the data obtained from the 3-day food records. Results: The prevalence of PMS was 49.5%. Increased food craving was positively associated with increased body weight, body mass index and increased intake of energy, fat, carbohydrates, and saturated fat (p

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