Case-control study, 2005
Does eating more calcium and vitamin D help prevent PMS?
Yes. Women eating the most vitamin D and calcium had lower PMS risk, and drinking more low-fat milk was also linked to lower risk.
What they did
Researchers followed nurses aged 27 to 44 for 10 years starting in 1991. They compared women who developed PMS with women who didn't, and looked at what calcium and vitamin D they consumed in 1991, 1995, and 1999.
What they found
Women eating the most vitamin D (median 706 IU per day) had lower PMS risk than those eating the least (median 112 IU per day). Women eating the most calcium from food (median 1283 mg per day) had lower risk than those eating the least (median 529 mg per day). Women who drank skim or low-fat milk also had lower PMS risk.
What it means for you
Eating calcium and vitamin D from food sources, especially milk, may help prevent PMS. The study was large and followed women over 10 years. The main limit is that this was an observation study so we cannot say these nutrients prevent PMS, only that eating more was linked to lower risk.
706 vs 112 IU
vitamin D daily (highest vs lowest)
1283 vs 529 mg
calcium daily (highest vs lowest)
10 years
length of follow-up
About the study
- Original title
- Calcium and vitamin D intake and risk of incident premenstrual syndrome
- Authors
- Bertone-Johnson ER, Hankinson SE, Bendich A et al.
- Journal
- Archives of internal medicine
- Year
- 2005
- Study design
- Case-control study
- Participants
- 1,057
- What was tested
- Varied calcium and vitamin D intake from food sources.
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1001/archinte.165.11.1246
Topics
Related studies
Systematic review, 2025
Do nutritional interventions help with emotional symptoms of PMS?
Review, 2026
Can diet and nutrition help reduce PMS symptoms?
Case-control study, 2026
Does vitamin D help PMS symptoms?
Survey study, 2025
How much do lifestyle and diet affect PMS symptoms?
Survey study, 2023
Can diet help reduce PMS symptoms?
Review, 2023
Can diet and vitamins help reduce PMS symptoms?