Do Calcium and Vitamin D Help Reduce PMS Symptoms?

According to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (2005; 165:1246-1252), a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D may help reduce the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or prevent the condition altogether. PMS is estimated to be found in 8 percent to 20 percent of women. The study was conducted at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Harvard Medical School and other affiliations and part of the large, long-running Nurses Health Study.
The study compared the diets of 1,057 women, ages 27-44 diagnosed with PMS to a similar group of women nurses who did not have PMS. Food frequency questionnaires and other health surveys were analyzed over a 10-year period. Women with intakes corresponding to approximately 1,200 mg of calcium and 400 IU of vitamin D had significantly reduced symptoms of PMS. The authors quote, “Our findings, together with those from several small randomized trials that found calcium supplements to be effective in treating PMS, suggest that a high intake of calcium and vitamin D may reduce the risk of PMS.”

For more information on this topic, click this link
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/165/11/1246