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A diet that is high in calcium and vitamin D may decrease risk of PMS

A diet rich in calcium and vitamin D may lower the risk of developing premenstrual syndrome (PMS), a condition that affects up to a fifth of all women, report researchers.

Previous studies have suggested that calcium supplements and vitamin D, a hormone that regulates the absorption of calcium, may reduce premenstrual occurrence and severity but it was not clear whether the mineral-vitamin combination could prevent the condition from developing in the first place.

While most women experience mild emotional or physical premenstrual symptoms, as many as 8 to 20 per cent of women experience symptoms severe enough to meet the definition of premenstrual syndrome, which can substantially interfere with daily activities and relationships.

The researchers compared the diets and supplement use of 1,057 women aged 27 to 44 years old who reported developing PMS over the course of 10 years to 1,968 women who reported no diagnosis of PMS or no or minimal premenstrual symptoms in the same time period.

The women, who participated in the study, all reported no PMS in 1991, at the beginning of the study.

Their intake of calcium and vitamin D from diet and/or supplements was calculated from food frequency and standard NHS questionnaires administered in 1991, 1995 and 1999.

"We observed a significantly lower risk of developing PMS in women with high intakes of vitamin D and calcium from food sources, equivalent to about four servings per day of skim or low-fat milk, fortified orange juice or low-fat dairy foods such as yoghurt," the authors write in the 13 June issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine (165, pp 1246-1252).

Women taking on an average of 706 IU of Vitamin D each day - had a relative risk of 0.59 compared with those consuming only 112 IU per day.

Women consuming the most calcium (on average 1283 mg per day) had a 30 per cent lower risk of developing PMS than those with a low intake of 529 mg daily.