--- title: Does how much you eat change during your menstrual cycle? | Niyora description: Yes. Women eat less energy during menstruation and more before their period. They also eat more carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamin C, and B vitamins before url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/energy-and-nutrient-intakes-during-different-phases-of-the-menstrual-cycle-in-2009/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does how much you eat change during your menstrual cycle? Study, 2009 # Does how much you eat change during your menstrual cycle? Yes. Women eat less energy during menstruation and more before their period. They also eat more carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamin C, and B vitamins before their period than during menstruation. Moderate study design 43 women aged 18 to 30 years in the United Arab Emirates with regular menstrual cycles, not on oral contraceptive pills. ## What they did The researchers followed 43 women aged 18 to 30 who had regular periods and were not on birth control pills. They recorded all food and drink intake for 2 days during each phase of the menstrual cycle (before the period, during the period, and after the period). ## What they found Mean energy intake was significantly lower during the menstrual phase compared to the premenstrual phase, but similar during the post-menstrual phase. Intakes of carbohydrates, protein, and fat were significantly higher in the premenstrual phase than the menstrual phase. Vitamin C and B vitamin intakes were also significantly higher in the premenstrual phase than the menstrual phase. ## What it means for you Women naturally tend to eat more and choose more nutritious foods before their period than during menstruation. The study only tracked 2 days per cycle phase, so it captures just a snapshot. The participants were in the United Arab Emirates, so results may differ in other countries. 43 women studied 18-30 age range in years 2 days per cycle phase recorded ## About the study Original title Energy and nutrient intakes during different phases of the menstrual cycle in females in the United Arab Emirates Authors Cheikh Ismail LI, Al-Hourani H, Lightowler HJ et al. Journal Annals of nutrition & metabolism Year 2009 Study design Study What was tested None (observational study tracking normal eating patterns). Read the paper [doi.org/10.1159/000209395](https://doi.org/10.1159/000209395) ## Topics [Oral contraceptives and drospirenone](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormonal-contraceptives/)[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, 2025 Are irregular menstrual cycles linked to lower thinking and memory skills in middle-aged women? Case-control study, 2014 How common is severe period pain and what causes it? Randomised trial, 2010 What treatments work for premenstrual syndrome? Systematic review, 2007 What treatments work for premenstrual syndrome? Study, 2002 Which PMS treatments have good scientific evidence? Survey study, 2019 Does low vitamin D make premenstrual symptoms worse? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗