Everyone prepare to dance a jig. I’m there already and its really hard to jig and type at the same time. The latest research suggests that a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D may prevent premenstrual syndrome. Somebody get me a bullhorn STAT.
Not all women suffer from PMS. While these symptoms may be very common among women prior to menstruation, when the symptoms reach a level that they interfere with every day life and relationships, it becomes classified as PMS.
Following the cue from earlier research that suggested increasing calcium and vitamin D intake may help reduce the severity of PMS, investigators from the University of Massachusetts, Harvard University, and the University of Iowa teamed up to publish their latest findings in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Comparing the diets of women aged 27 to 44 who were chronic PMS sufferers over a ten year period to women who didn’t exhibit PMS symptoms, the researchers found that high levels of vitamin D and calcium produced a 40% lower risk of PMS.
And it takes a lot of vitamin D and calcium. About four servings per day of skim milk, orange juice or yogurt should do it (or about 1200 milligrams of calcium and 400 International Units of vitamin D). Spinach is also a good source.
Nobody is sure as to why these vitamins and minerals help prevent PMS, but the leading idea is that they somehow affect the production of the female hormone estrogen, the most perplexing hormone known to man (ok, so I added that last part).
Doctors also found a correlation suggesting that with the reduction of PMS, there seemed to be a decrease in the number of insensitive jerks.
The moral of the story is brought to you buy Mom, Popeye, and Hershey. Drink your milk, eat your spinach, chocolate’s your friend.
