Let’s talk PMS. Because if you’re one of the millions of women whose beastly bout of bloating, cramping, and other unsavory symptoms strikes like clockwork each month, this story just might make your day. Turns out, beating the pre-period blahs could be as simple as making a few dietary tweaks. The key? Getting enough iron—which was shown to reduce the risk of PMS symptoms in a new study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. After tracking the diets of over 3,000 women for 10 years, researchers found that participants with the highest dietary iron intake were 30% less likely to suffer PMS than women whose diets contained the smallest quantities of the mineral. The connection makes sense once you understand the role that iron plays in the body. The mineral is involved in the production of serotonin, and low levels of that hormone may be responsible for the emotional and physical symptoms associated with PMS, says study author Elizabeth Bertone-Johnson, ScD, an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Ironically (yup, we went there), women of childbearing age face a heightened risk of iron deficiency because they lose so much of the mineral during menstruation. Fortunately, you don’t need Popeye-style doses of the stuff to reap its rewards—simply meeting your daily requirement is enough. “The point at which we saw significant benefit was just above the recommended daily allowance,” Bertone-Johnson says. That’s 18 g of iron each day from foods like lentils, beef, fortified cereal, and spinach. Aim to consume these iron-rich foods with sources of vitamin C when possible—the vitamin actually enhances the body’s iron absorption. And if you’re still falling short, talk to your doctor about adding a supplement. An iron pill alone might not combat PMS quite as effectively, but a food and supplement combo appears to do the trick, Bertone-Johnson says. Just don’t go overboard on the steak: Consuming more than 45 mg of iron daily can actually put you at risk for iron toxicity, and some research suggests it even increases the odds of developing heart disease. (To be clear, one 3 oz serving of sirloin steak contains 3 mg of iron—so you’d really need to go wild to overdo your intake.) Finally, know that there are other nutrients that can help—or hurt—your battle against PMS. Previous research has shown that high intakes of calcium, vitamin D, and the B vitamins thiamin and riboflavin can have a positive effect. But steer clear of getting too much potassium, since taking in more than 3.7 g actually ups your risk of PMS symptoms, Bertone-Johnson and her co-authors report in the study. More from Prevention: Is PMS All In Your Head? Questions? Comments? Contact Prevention’s News Team.
