MIND diet adherence and premenstrual syndrome severity among adult women: a cross-sectional study

Objective The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the severity of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and adherence to the Mediterranean DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet among adult women. Methods This descriptive, cross-sectional study included 405 adult women who volunteered. In addition to sociodemographic questions designed to assess participants’ general menstrual cycle information, dietary habits, and changes during the PMS period, the Premenstrual Syndrome Scale (PMSS) and the MIND Diet Adherence Scale were used. Results PMS was detected in 46.7% of the women. Women with PMS were found to have a lower mean age, a longer menstrual cycle duration, and higher rates of smoking and alcohol use ( p < 0.05). Women with PMS reported more frequent increases in consumption of refined grains, fried foods, sweets and sugary foods, coffee, packaged foods, and sugary beverages ( p < 0.05). A weak negative correlation was found between the MIND diet adherence score and the total PMSS score ( r = −0.131; p = 0.008). In hierarchical regression analysis, the MIND diet score did not independently predict PMS severity (β = −0.070; p = 0.146). Age was the only significant predictor in the model, and increasing age was associated with lower PMS severity (β = −0.320; p < 0.001). Conclusion MIND diet adherence was weakly associated with lower PMS severity but was not an independent predictor. The only significant predictor found was age. Furthermore, the increase in consumption of processed and sugary foods, as well as coffee, among women with PMS indicates a need for specific nutritional counseling to address the worsening symptoms during this period. Prospective studies are needed to clarify the direction of these associations.