Dietary Patterns and Premenstrual Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Study

This study investigated the cross-sectional association between major dietary patterns and premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Participants were 427 women aged 22-50 y who responded to a mail survey in 2022-2023. Dietary patterns were derived using principal component analysis based on consumption of 52 food and beverage items ascertained by a validated self-administered diet history questionnaire. PMS were assessed using the Premenstrual Symptoms Questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate odds ratios of PMS according to tertiles of dietary pattern scores. The prevalence of moderate to severe PMS was 9.6% (41 women). We identified four dietary patterns: vegetable, tomato and fish, Japanese, and alcohol dietary patterns. No dietary pattern was significantly associated with PMS. However, the odds ratios of PMS in the highest tertile of the vegetable dietary pattern (characterized by high intake of vegetables, mushrooms, potatoes, seaweeds, and chicken) tended to be lower compared to the lowest tertile. The multivariable-adjusted odds ratio of PMS for the highest versus lowest tertile of the vegetable dietary pattern score was 0.69 (95% confidence interval 0.30-1.59). None of the dietary patterns were appreciably associated with PMS. The finding of lower odds of PMS among women with a high score for the vegetable dietary pattern deserves further investigation.