Abstract
Premenstrual symptoms are experienced by most women of reproductive age, but effective therapies are limited. Carotenoids may have an attenuating effect on premenstrual symptoms; however, studies to date are equivocal. The objective of the present study was to examine the association between plasma concentrations of seven carotenoids and premenstrual symptom severity in 553 women from the Toronto Nutrigenomics and Health study. Participants provided information on fifteen common premenstrual symptoms and severities. Each participant completed a General Health and Lifestyle Questionnaire and provided a fasting blood sample from which plasma carotenoid concentrations were measured. Multinomial logistic regressions were used to determine associations between plasma carotenoid concentrations and premenstrual symptom severity. Beta-cryptoxanthin was associated with moderate/severe increased appetite for women in the highest compared to the lowest tertile (OR: 2.33; 95% CI: 1.39, 3.89). This association remained significant after adjusting for multiple comparisons. There were no observed associations between other plasma carotenoids and any premenstrual symptoms. In summary, higher concentrations of beta-cryptoxanthin were associated with an increased appetite as a premenstrual symptom, but no associations were observed for any other carotenoid and for any other symptom.
Highlights
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) is characterized by a cluster of symptoms that present themselves during the late luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and cease a few days into menses [1]
We observed a positive association between plasma beta-cryptoxanthin concentrations and increased appetite/food cravings during the premenstrual period, which remained significant after adjusting for potential confounders and accounting for multiple comparisons
Given the limited number of studies on carotenoids and premenstrual symptoms [19,20,21,22], the present study examined whether plasma carotenoid concentrations were associated with premenstrual symptoms in young women of reproductive age
Summary
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) is characterized by a cluster of symptoms that present themselves during the late luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and cease a few days into menses [1]. For women with PMS, these symptoms must be recurring and followed by a symptom-free phase until the end of ovulation. Up to 99% of women of reproductive age experience premenstrual symptoms [1,3]. Considerable variation exists in the type and severity of symptoms that women experience. Some of this variation may be due, in part, to factors such as differences in lifestyle, age, genetics, diet and nutritional status [5,6,7,8,9]
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