---
title: Does eating more minerals help prevent PMS? | Niyora
description: Women eating more iron had lower PMS risk, but women eating more potassium had higher risk. This suggests some minerals might help prevent PMS, but the eviden
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/intake-of-selected-minerals-and-risk-of-premenstrual-syndrome-2013/
---

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- Does eating more minerals help prevent PMS?

Case-control study, 2013

# Does eating more minerals help prevent PMS?

Women eating more iron had lower PMS risk, but women eating more potassium had higher risk. This suggests some minerals might help prevent PMS, but the evidence was mixed.

 Moderate study design

1057 women who developed PMS and 1968 women who did not, from the Nurses' Health Study.

## What they did

Researchers followed nurses for 10 years starting in 1991. They compared women who developed PMS with women who didn't, and looked at what minerals they ate based on food questionnaires filled out in 1991, 1995, and 1999.

## What they found

Women eating the most nonheme iron had lower PMS risk compared to those eating the least. Women eating the most potassium had higher PMS risk compared to those eating the least. High zinc from supplements was weakly linked to lower PMS risk. Salt, magnesium, and manganese made no difference to PMS risk.

## What it means for you

Some minerals in food might help prevent PMS, especially iron. However, the results were mixed because potassium seemed to increase risk. The study was large and followed women over a long time, so the findings are fairly reliable. The main limit is that this was an observation study, so we cannot say minerals definitely prevent PMS.

1057

women who developed PMS

1968

women who did not develop PMS

10 years

length of follow-up

## About the study

Original title Intake of selected minerals and risk of premenstrual syndrome Authors Chocano-Bedoya PO, Manson JE, Hankinson SE et al. Journal American journal of epidemiology Year 2013 Study design Case-control study Participants 1,057 What was tested Varied mineral intake from food and supplements. Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1093/aje/kws363](https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kws363)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Diet and nutrition](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-diet/)[Calcium](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-calcium/)[Magnesium](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-magnesium/)[Zinc and iron](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-zinc-iron/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/)

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