--- title: Does alternate-day modified fasting improve PMS symptoms and quality of life in overweight or obese women? description: Yes, alternate-day modified fasting improved mood lability, expressed anger, and mental health more than daily calorie restriction. These improvements were st url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/does-an-alternate-day-modified-fasting-diet-improve-premenstrual-syndrome-2023/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does alternate-day modified fasting improve PMS symptoms and quality of life in overweight or obese women? Randomised trial, 2023 # Does alternate-day modified fasting improve PMS symptoms and quality of life in overweight or obese women? Yes, alternate-day modified fasting improved mood lability, expressed anger, and mental health more than daily calorie restriction. These improvements were statistically significant but dropout was high. Moderate study design 60 overweight or obese women with premenstrual syndrome ## What they did Randomized controlled trial lasting 8 weeks with 60 overweight or obese women with PMS. The intervention group followed alternate-day modified fasting. The control group followed daily calorie restriction. Weight, body composition, and quality of life were measured before and after. About 18% of participants dropped out. ## What they found Alternate-day modified fasting significantly improved mood lability (p = 0.044), expressed anger, and mental health. Weight, body fat, and waist circumference decreased significantly. Fat-free mass and skeletal muscle mass did not change significantly between the two groups. ## What it means for you Alternate-day modified fasting may help overweight and obese women with PMS improve mood and lose weight. However, the high dropout rate (18%), short duration (8 weeks), and focus on overweight women mean results may not apply to all women with PMS. 60 Total women studied 8 Duration in weeks 18% Dropout rate ## About the study Original title Does an alternate-day modified fasting diet improve premenstrual syndrome symptoms and health-related quality of life in obese or overweight women with premenstrual syndrome? A randomized, controlled trial Authors Hooshiar SH, Yazdani A, Jafarnejad S Journal Frontiers in nutrition Year 2023 Study design Randomised trial What was tested Alternate-day modified fasting for 8 weeks versus daily calorie restriction Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2023.1298831](https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2023.1298831) Original abstract Background: Premenstrual syndrome disorder (PMS) is a condition that affects health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and encompasses a variety of symptoms, including psychological, physical, and behavioral symptoms. Some evidence suggests that an increase in body mass index (BMI) can reduce both HRQoL and menstrual quality. This is because the body fat tissue can affect menstrual cycles by changing the estrogen/progesterone ratio. This study investigated the impact of two diets alternate-day modified fasting (ADMF) and daily calorie restriction (DCR) - on PMS syndrome and HRQoL. Methods: The study was a randomized controlled, open-label trial that lasted for 8 weeks and involved 60 obese/overweight women. Participants were recruited from the Health Service Centers of Kashan University of Medical Sciences using simple random sampling. The study compared the impact of the ADMF and DCR diets on HRQoL and PMS symptoms. Patients were classified based on their BMI and age and then allocated to either the intervention (ADMF) or control (DCR) group using a random numbers table. The study measured HRQoL, PMS severity, weight, BMI, body fat mass, waist circumference, fat-free mass, and skeletal muscle mass before and after the study. The study had an almost 18% dropout rate. Results: Significant improvements were observed in mood lability ( p = 0.044) and expressed anger ( p p p = 0.006) as well as mental health ( p p p p = 0.029, respectively) before and after the study. However, there were no significant changes in fat-free mass ( p = 0.936) and skeletal muscle mass ( p = 0.841) between the two groups. Conclusion: The study suggested that ADMF can improve HRQoL, mood lability, and expressed anger. It also showed that ADMF can reduce waist circumference, weight, and body fat mass in obese/overweight women. Clinical trial registration: The Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20220522054958N1). Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Quality of life and daily functioning](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-quality-of-life/)[Mood swings and emotion regulation](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-emotional-regulation/)[Irritability and anger](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-irritability-anger/)[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 Survey study, 2026 What patterns of mood changes and food cravings occur during the menstrual cycle in college students? Survey study, 2026 Can changing your diet help with period and PMS symptoms like fatigue, mood swings and bloating? Survey study, 2026 How do pre-menstrual symptoms affect the work and social life of young women? Survey study, 2025 How common is PMS among female medical students, and how severe are the symptoms? Study, 2026 What coping strategies help women manage PMS symptoms? Study, 2026 What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗