---
title: Does foot reflexology combined with diet reduce PMS symptoms?
description: Yes, combining foot reflexology with dietary changes reduced PMS symptoms better than diet alone. Both groups improved significantly, but the reflexology grou
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/impact-of-foot-reflexology-combined-with-dietary-modification-on-premenstrual-2023/
---

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- Does foot reflexology combined with diet reduce PMS symptoms?

Randomised trial, 2023

# Does foot reflexology combined with diet reduce PMS symptoms?

Yes, combining foot reflexology with dietary changes reduced PMS symptoms better than diet alone. Both groups improved significantly, but the reflexology group improved more.

 Moderate study design

50 single women aged 18-25 with PMS

## What they did

This was a randomized controlled trial with 50 women aged 18 to 25 with PMS and BMI of 30 or less. One group received foot reflexology plus dietary modification three times per week for eight weeks. The other group received only dietary modification for eight weeks. Researchers measured pain, PMS symptoms, and a protein called beta-endorphin.

## What they found

Both groups showed significant improvement in pain, beta-endorphin levels, and PMS symptoms compared to before treatment. The reflexology plus diet group improved significantly more than the diet-only group.

## What it means for you

Adding foot reflexology to diet might improve PMS more than diet alone. The study is small and included only single women aged 18 to 25, so results may not apply to all women.

50

women

8

weeks

3

sessions per week

## About the study

Original title Impact of foot reflexology combined with dietary modification on premenstrual syndrome: A randomized controlled trial Authors Ghada ebrahim El Refaye, Ahmed M. Aboeleneen, Afnan M. Alkhateeb et al. Journal SPORT TK-Revista EuroAmericana de Ciencias del Deporte Year 2023 Study design Randomised trial What was tested Foot reflexology combined with dietary modification, 3 sessions weekly for 8 weeks Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.6018/sportk.592691](https://doi.org/10.6018/sportk.592691)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[Diet and nutrition](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-diet/)

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