by Case Adams, Naturopath
(GreenMedInfo) Several recent studies have confirmed that premenstrual syndrome symptoms can be significantly reduced by including certain nutrient-dense foods in the diet.
The most recent study, from researchers at the University of Massachusetts, followed 3,025 women for ten years, while reviewing their dietary intakes specific to minerals. The researchers assessed their mineral intake by calculating the mineral levels using food frequency intake questionnaires, which were given three different times during the ten year period.
[Sponsor Ad: Membrane Complex, Magnesium Taurate, Zinc Balance]
The research found that those women who ate the highest amounts of foods containing nonheme iron had a 36% reduced incidence of PMS. Those who ate the highest amounts of foods containing zinc had a 31% reduction in PMS incidence.
As far as dosage, the researchers found the iron intake levels were higher than the current RDA: “The level of iron intake at which we saw a lower risk of PMS, roughly greater than 20 mg per day, is higher than the current recommended daily allowance (RDA) for iron for premenopausal women, which is 18 mg per day,” stated the researchers.
Dietary zinc intake that associated with lower PMS incidence was also higher than the RDA, as the researchers noted zinc intake linked to reduced PMS at “greater than 15 mg per day, was also higher than the current recommendations of 8 mg per day.”
Foods with higher amounts of iron include most nuts (cashews, almonds, pine nuts, hazelnuts), squash, beans, leafy greens, soy and whole grains.
Foods with higher levels of zinc include wheat and wheat germ, pumpkin seeds and squash, peanuts, cashews, yogurt, garbanzo beans and almonds.
The study was led by Dr. Elizabeth R. Bertone-Johnson, an associate professor at University of Massachusetts in the Epiedemiology department of UM’s School of Public Health.
PMS and PMDD affect up to 20% of reproductive age women and are associated with levels of impairment comparable to those of other major affective disorders,” she writes. “The most common symptoms of PMS and PMDD include irritability, mood swings, anxiety, depression, breast tenderness, bloating, and headaches in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. While many pharmaceutical treatments for PMS and PMDD have been evaluated, all have significant limitations and none has a reported efficacy greater than 60-70%. Because of the substantial limitations of available treatments, it is important to identify ways to prevent the initial development of these disorders.”
Read more: http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/certain-dietary-nutrients-reduce-premenstrual-syndrome