Calcium, Vitamin D Combat PMS

AMHERST, Mass.--Women with the highest intake of vitamin D and calcium appear to have a reduced risk of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), according to data from the Nurses' Health Study II cohort. Coordinated by the University of Massachusetts, investigators conducted a case-control study using women aged 27 to 44 years and free from PMS at baseline in 1991; 1,057 women developed PMS over the 10 year follow-up compared to 1,968 women with no diagnosis of PMS. Intake of calcium and vitamin D was measured through the years by a food frequency questionnaire.

After adjustment for risk factors including age and smoking status, women in the highest quintile of vitamin D intake (median 706 IU/d) had almost half the risk of developing PMS compared to those in the lowest quintile. Intake of calcium from food sources and intake of skim or low fat milk also significantly reduced PMS incidence. The researchers concluded that these findings, coupled with research showing higher calcium and vitamin D intake could reduce the risk of osteoporosis and some cancers, suggest clinicians should recommend higher intake of the nutrients even in younger women.

Study results were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (165:1246-52, 2005).