--- title: Is PMS linked to body fat, weight, and diet? | Niyora description: Yes. Women with higher body fat percentage and higher BMI had more severe PMS. Eating too much fat and too few other nutrients was associated with worse PMS, url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/association-of-premenstrual-syndrome-with-adiposity-and-nutrient-intake-among-2022/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Is PMS linked to body fat, weight, and diet? Survey study, 2022 # Is PMS linked to body fat, weight, and diet? Yes. Women with higher body fat percentage and higher BMI had more severe PMS. Eating too much fat and too few other nutrients was associated with worse PMS, while eating oilseeds seemed protective. Early or limited evidence 330 young Indian women students ## What they did 330 young Indian women completed questionnaires about their menstrual patterns, diet, and physical activity. Researchers measured their body mass index, waist and hip measurements, and body fat using skinfold thickness. PMS was assessed using two different questionnaires. ## What they found 71.3% reported at least one PMS symptom: 46.9% had mild PMS, 31.5% had moderate, 8.3% had severe, and 13.3% had none. Mean BMI was normal (21.76) but mean body fat percentage was above normal (33.95%). PMS severity was significantly correlated with higher body fat percentage and BMI. Nutrient intake was lower than recommended except for fat, which was higher. Protein intake was higher in women with mild PMS than those with moderate and severe PMS. An inverse association was found between eating oilseeds and PMS. ## What it means for you PMS may be related to high body fat and imbalanced diet including too much fat and insufficient other nutrients. Eating oilseeds might help. This was a snapshot study in young Indian women, so findings may not apply to other groups or older women. The study cannot show whether diet and weight cause PMS or whether having PMS affects eating habits. 330 women studied 71.3% with at least one PMS symptom 33.95% mean body fat percentage ## About the study Original title Association of Premenstrual Syndrome with Adiposity and Nutrient Intake Among Young Indian Women Authors Thakur H, Pareek P, Sayyad MG et al. Journal International journal of women's health Year 2022 Study design Survey study Participants 330 What was tested None Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.2147/ijwh.s359458](https://doi.org/10.2147/ijwh.s359458) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Diet and nutrition](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-diet/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Cohort study, 2026 Do sleep, exercise, and diet quality affect period pain, heavy bleeding, and PMS in midlife? Systematic review, 2025 Do nutritional interventions help with emotional symptoms of PMS? Systematic review, 2025 How common are PMS, PMDD, and painful periods in nursing students, and do they affect their schooling? Systematic review, 2022 Do herbal medicines and nutritional supplements help premenstrual syndrome symptoms? Randomised trial, 2022 Does curcumin with piperine reduce PMS symptoms by lowering inflammation? Randomised trial, 2022 Do herbal medicines and nutritional supplements help relieve PMS symptoms? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗