Randomised trial, 2026
Can a dietary intervention based on nutritional guidelines improve premenstrual and menstrual symptoms?
No. This pilot study found no evidence that the dietary changes improved symptoms. Although some measurements showed differences, none could be attributed to the diet intervention.
What they did
This was a pilot randomized controlled trial testing a dietary intervention based on dietary reference intakes for women with premenstrual and menstrual disorders. Women in the intervention group ate specially prepared meals. The study measured saliva, serum parameters, and other health markers.
What they found
Although some measured items showed statistically significant differences between groups, no results indicated changes that could be attributed to the dietary intervention itself.
What it means for you
The dietary approach tested in this early-stage pilot study did not appear to improve premenstrual or menstrual symptoms. The abstract provided is supplementary material showing meal images rather than full results, which limits conclusions. More research would be needed to determine if dietary changes can help.
About the study
- Original title
- Additional file 2 of Novel dietary FemTech based on dietary reference intakes for premenstrual and menstrual disorders: a pilot open-label randomized controlled trial of dietary intervention
- Authors
- Jun Iimura, Naohisa Shobako, Masahiro Yagibashi et al.
- Journal
- Figshare
- Year
- 2026
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- What was tested
- Dietary intervention based on dietary reference intakes
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.31857499
Original abstract
Supplementary Material 2. Figure S2: Example test meal. This image shows a hamburg steak lunch box provided to the Opti group for consumption during lunch or dinner. The nutritional content of the samples is summarized in Table S3. Figure S3: Results of saliva and serum parameters. * p<0.05, **p<0.01. Although some items showed significant differences, no results indicated changes attributable to the intervention.
Reproduced under CC-BY.