Anti-inflammatory food products and the severity of menstrual pain: a narrative review

Menstruation is a natural physiological process in healthy women of reproductive age, often accompanied by physical and psychological symptoms that can impair daily functioning and quality of life. Given the established role of oxidative imbalance in menstrual discomfort, dietary products rich in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds may offer a non-pharmacological approach to symptom management. However, to date, this area remains insufficiently explored in the literature. The aim of this narrative review was to assess the relationship between the consumption of foods with anti-inflammatory potential and the severity of menstrual pain. PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science were searched from inception to May 2025 using following keywords: "anti-inflammatory products", "whole grains", "fish", "seafood", "vegetables", "fruits", "legumes", "nuts", "seeds", "olive oil", "fats", "menstruation", "primary dysmenorrhea". Reference lists of included studies were also reviewed manually. Nine relevant studies were identified in the literature review (1 meta-analysis, 2 case-control, and 6 cross-sectional studies). The results showed that whole grains and fish consumption may be inversely associated with menstrual pain, though findings were inconsistent. While one meta-analysis on fruit and vegetable consumption and severity of menstrual pain found no significant association, several other studies reported a protective association with higher/more frequent intake. Evidence on legumes was inconclusive. No studies to date assessed the association between olive oil, nuts, and seeds and menstrual symptoms. Interpretation of findings was limited by methodological heterogeneity, including differences in dietary assessment, symptom measurement tools, and participant characteristics. Preliminary evidence suggests that the anti-inflammatory foods, such as whole grain, vegetables, and fish may help alleviate the severity of menstrual pain, but the current evidence is inconsistent. However, the number of studies published in this area to date is limited and generally of low quality. Therefore, further high-quality research is needed to clarify these associations.