--- title: Do cashew nuts help reduce PMS symptoms by increasing serotonin? description: Women who ate 70 grams of cashew nuts daily for 2 weeks showed increases in serotonin and reductions in PMS symptoms compared to women who did not eat them. T url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/effect-of-cashew-nut-consumption-on-salivary-serotonin-levels-in-adolescents-2025/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do cashew nuts help reduce PMS symptoms by increasing serotonin? Non-randomised trial, 2025 # Do cashew nuts help reduce PMS symptoms by increasing serotonin? Women who ate 70 grams of cashew nuts daily for 2 weeks showed increases in serotonin and reductions in PMS symptoms compared to women who did not eat them. The sample was small and lasted only 2 weeks, so we need more research to know if this works long-term. Moderate study design 42 adolescents with PMS ## What they did Quasi-experimental study with control group. 42 adolescents with PMS. The intervention group ate 70 grams of cashew nuts per day for 2 weeks starting on day 14 of their menstrual cycle. The control group did not eat cashew nuts. Serotonin was measured from saliva samples, and PMS symptoms were measured with a questionnaire before and after. ## What they found The cashew nut group's serotonin increased from 158.91 ng/mL to 250.43 ng/mL. Their PMS symptom scores decreased from 26.57 to 17.38. In contrast, the control group's serotonin decreased from 123.7 ng/mL to 117.67 ng/mL, and their PMS symptoms increased from 27.8 to 28.23. The difference between groups was statistically significant (P<0.001). ## What it means for you Eating cashew nuts may help reduce PMS symptoms and increase serotonin. However, the study included only 42 adolescents, lasted just 2 weeks, did not randomly assign people to groups, and used a very small sample, so we cannot be certain this works for all women or longer-term. 70 grams/day cashew nuts dose 2 weeks duration of intervention 158 to 250 ng/mL serotonin increase in intervention group ## About the study Original title Effect of cashew nut consumption on salivary serotonin levels in adolescents with premenstrual syndrome Authors Dian P. HASBA, Aryadi Arsyad, Elizabet Catherine Jusuf Journal Gazzetta Medica Italiana Archivio per le Scienze Mediche Year 2025 Study design Non-randomised trial Participants 42 What was tested 70 grams of cashew nuts daily for 2 weeks on days 14-28 of menstrual cycle Read the paper [doi.org/10.23736/s0393-3660.24.05735-8](https://doi.org/10.23736/s0393-3660.24.05735-8) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/) 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 Randomised trial, 2026 Does aerobic or resistance exercise reduce anxiety in women with PMS? Cohort study, 2025 How common is PMS in Chinese teenage girls, and what factors are linked to it? Systematic review, 2025 Does alcohol use affect menstrual health in teenage girls? Systematic review, 2025 Does teaching adolescent girls about their menstrual cycle and health help reduce period pain and PMS? Randomised trial, 2024 Does curcumin-piperine combination improve antioxidant activity in women with PMS and period pain? Systematic review, 2024 How common is premenstrual syndrome in Africa, and what factors increase the risk? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗