A recent review has revealed that period pain and discomfort can be reduced by avoiding certain foods and incorporating others into the diet.
The latest analysis has highlighted that diets high in omega-3 fatty acids and low in processed foods, oil and sugar reduce inflammation, a key contributor to menstrual pain.
“Researching the effects of diet on menstrual pain started as a way to remedy the pain I personally experienced; I wanted to understand the science behind the association,” said lead author of the study Serah Sannoh of Rutgers State University in New Jersey, USA, who presented her findings at the recent North American Menopause Society (NAMS) Annual Meeting in Atlanta.
Her analysis of relevant studies suggests that diet may be a key contributor, specifically diets high in meat, oil, sugar, salt and coffee, which have been shown to cause inflammation.
She said her aim was to study the effect of diet on menstrual pain and identify which foods contribute to it and which can reduce it. Research was conducted through a literature review that found multiple studies which examined dietary patterns resulting in menstrual pain. In general terms, these found that diets high in omega-6 fatty acids promote inflammation and foods high in omega-3 fatty acids reduce it.
The muscles in the uterus contract because of prostaglandins, which are active in inflammatory responses. When measuring the Dietary Inflammatory Index, it was found that those on a vegan diet (that excluded animal fat) had the lowest rates of inflammation.
“As menstrual pain is a leading cause of school absenteeism for adolescent girls, it’s important to explore options that can minimise the pain. Something like diet modification could be a relatively simple solution that could provide substantial relief for them,” said Dr Stephanie Faubion, NAMS medical director.
The Effects of Diet on Menstrual Pain
Serah Sannoh
Presented at the NAMS Annual Meeting
Objective
Dysmenorrhea, or menstrual pain, is the leading cause of school absences1 and has a prevalence rate of 90% among adolescent girls. Despite the high prevalence of menstrual pain, many adolescent girls do not seek treatment for it. This pain is typically managed with the use of over-the-counter pain medication, but many times this does not remedy the pain which affects the quality of one’s life. Evidence has highlighted that diets high in omega-3 fatty acids and low in processed foods, oil, and sugar reduce inflammation, which is a key contributor to menstrual pain. The Women’s Health Institute promotes women’s health research and brings light to areas in women’s health often forgotten, such as the dysmenorrhea many adolescent girls face. Dietary solutions to menstrual pain should be researched more because one’s daily diet influences their health outcomes. This project will study the effect of diet on menstrual pain and will evaluate which foods contribute to dysmenorrhea in adolescent girls and which foods can reduce the negative lifestyle effects of this condition.
Design
Research was conducted through a literature search of peer-reviewed articles and journals which were found using the search engines Rutgers Library, PubMed, and ScienceDirect. Multiple studies evaluating the relationship between period pain and specific diets were analysed. To narrow the search results the advanced search tool was used to search for keywords such as “diet”, “dysmenorrhea”, “foods”, “menstrual pain”, “period pain”, and other related terms. The advanced search tool was used to narrow my search by using “and” between keywords and by using “or” to widen my search. This study is targeted towards adolescent and college-aged girls, which is why the search terms “adolescent”, “college”, and “university” were also used.
Results
The results from the multiple studies were collected from nested control case studies, questionnaires, and random assignment. These studies examined the dietary patterns that result in menstrual pain. It was found that diets high in animal meats, oil, sugars, salts, and coffee contribute to an increased risk of dysmenorrhea. Studies found that foods high in omega-6 fatty acids promote inflammation and foods high in omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation3 . It is very common for college aged girls in America to eat diets high in omega-6 fatty acids, since this is the bulk of the American diet. Since menstrual pain results from inflammation, it is important to have a balance of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in your diet or have more omega 3- fatty acids in your diet.
Conclusion
The findings from multiple studies suggest that diet does have a role in menstrual pain. To reduce this pain, it is advisable to avoid diets that trigger inflammation. The muscles in the uterus contract due to prostaglandins, which are very active in inflammatory responses. When measuring one’s Dietary Inflammatory Index, it was found that those on a vegan diet, which excluded animal fat, had the lowest rates of inflammation4. It is advisable to adopt a diet that avoids inflammatory foods to remedy dysmenorrhea.
NAMS presentation – The Effects of Diet on Menstrual Pain (Open access)
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