Diet can be a key factor in reducing menstrual pain. The results of a recent study into the effects of diet on menstrual pain provide further evidence.
Find out which types of food contribute to menstrual pain and which can reduce it.
Changing your diet to combat menstrual pain
In a recent study, the results of which were presented at the annual meeting of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) in Atlanta, USA, researchers investigated the effects of diet on menstrual pain.
To do this, the scientists carried out a literature review including several studies on dietary habits that lead to menstrual pain. They were thus able to identify the foods that contribute to menstrual pain and those that can reduce it.
» I hope this research can help those who are menstruating to reduce the pain they feel, » said study co-author Serah Sannoh, a researcher at Rutgers University, in a statement.
Dr Stephanie Faubion, medical director of NAMS, says that » diet modification could be a relatively simple solution that could bring them substantial relief » .
Foods to avoid and those to favour to reduce menstrual pain
One of the causes of menstrual pain is inflammation. During menstruation, the muscles of theuterus contract due to prostaglandins, which are active in inflammatory responses.
According to the results of the study, diets rich in omega-6 fatty acids promote inflammation. Foods rich in omega-6 fatty acids include meat, oil, salt, sugar and coffee.
Conversely, researchers revealed that foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids and low in processed foods, oil and sugar reduce inflammation.
Furthermore, when measuring the dietary inflammatory index, the researchers found that people following a vegan diet (excluding animal fats) had the lowest levels of inflammation.