Survey study, 2026
Does PMS affect what women eat and their feelings about food?
Yes. Women with PMS ate significantly more packaged processed foods and fast food during their period, and also had stronger emotional responses to food. Regular breakfast was less common in the PMS group.
What they did
Cross-sectional survey of 400 female university students aged 18-30. They completed questionnaires about PMS symptoms, emotional appetite (eating in response to feelings), and food choices.
What they found
82% of students (328 women) had PMS. Those with PMS were slightly older (median 21 vs 20 years). The PMS group had higher emotional appetite scores for both negative emotions (47.32 vs 40.95) and positive emotions (50.69 vs 41.21). During menstruation, women with PMS had 1.99 times higher odds of eating packaged processed foods and 2.15 times higher odds of eating fast food. Regular breakfast consumption was 0.50 times lower in the PMS group.
What it means for you
PMS is linked to emotional eating and dietary changes during menstruation. However, the study is limited to university students in a health program and cannot prove PMS causes these changes. The findings may not apply to all women.
82%
Prevalence of PMS in the sample
1.99
Times higher odds of eating packaged processed foods
2.15
Times higher odds of eating fast food
About the study
- Original title
- Association Between Premenstrual Syndrome, Emotional Appetite, and Food Choices in Faculty of Health Sciences Students: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Authors
- Eren Canbolat, Nisa Gök, Emre Duman
- Journal
- Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics
- Year
- 2026
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 328
- What was tested
- None
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.33076/2026.bdd.2082
Topics
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