PMS, herbal medicines and fractures

Iron, zinc and PMS

American Journal of Epidemiology (2013) DOI:10.1093/aje/kws363

A high intake of iron and zinc seems to reduce the risk of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), an analysis of the Nurses' Health Study II suggests. Conversely, high potassium levels seem to increase PMS risk.

The authors compared food frequency questionnaires completed by 1,057 women with PMS and 1968 controls. After adjusting for calcium intake and other factors, researchers divided women into quintiles based on intake of nonhaeme iron, the form of the mineral found primarily in plants and supplements. Women in the highest quintile of nonhaeme iron intake (median 49.2 mg/day) were 36 per cent less likely to develop PMS than those in the lowest quintile (median 9.4 mg/day).