Systematic review, 2025
Does zinc supplementation help with PMS symptoms?
Yes. Zinc supplements significantly reduced physical symptoms, anger, anxiety, tearfulness, difficulty concentrating, insomnia, and overeating compared to placebo.
What they did
Meta-analysis of 5 randomized controlled trials examining zinc supplementation versus placebo in females with PMS. Electronic repositories were searched until May 2023 to identify eligible studies.
What they found
Zinc improved physical health (MD: 3.69) and reduced physical symptoms (MD: -0.79). Zinc also significantly decreased anger (p=0.005), anxiety (p=0.04), tearfulness (p<0.0001), difficulty concentrating (p=0.02), insomnia (p<0.00001), hypersomnia (p=0.006), feeling overwhelmed (p=0.05), and overeating (p=0.0003).
What it means for you
Zinc appears effective for multiple PMS symptoms including emotional symptoms and sleep problems. The main limitation is that only 5 studies were included, so results need confirmation in larger studies.
5
randomized trials
3.69
physical health improvement
-0.79
physical symptom reduction
About the study
- Original title
- A systematic review and meta-analysis examining the role of zinc supplementation in ameliorating physical and psychological manifestations of premenstrual syndrome in young females
- Authors
- Haider S, Sajjad M, Zahid M
- Journal
- European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology
- Year
- 2025
- Study design
- Systematic review
- What was tested
- Zinc supplementation compared to placebo
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2025.114082
Topics
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