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Survey study, 2018

Does plant protein in the diet help prevent PMS from affecting athletic performance?

Possibly. Athletes whose PMS affects performance ate a lower proportion of plant protein compared to animal protein, though total protein intake was the same.

Early or limited evidence 135 female university athletes aged 18-23 in Japan

What they did

Cross-sectional survey of 135 female university athletes aged 18-23 in Japan. Researchers compared the diet of 18 athletes whose PMS affected performance to 117 whose PMS did not, looking at plant and animal protein intake.

What they found

Among athletes with PMS-related performance problems, animal protein intake averaged 50.6g and plant protein averaged 25.4g (39.3% of total). Among athletes without PMS problems, animal protein was 34.9g and plant protein was 26.9g (45.9% of total). Total protein intake was the same in both groups.

What it means for you

Athletes with PMS-affecting performance ate relatively less plant protein. Eating more plant protein may help prevent PMS from affecting athletic performance, but the sample with problems was very small (18 athletes) and this is correlational only.

39.3%

Plant protein proportion with PMS impairment

45.9%

Plant protein proportion without PMS impairment

18

Athletes with PMS-related performance impairment

About the study

Original title
Low Proportion of Dietary Plant Protein among Athletes with Premenstrual Syndrome-Related Performance Impairment
Authors
Yamada K, Takeda T
Journal
The Tohoku journal of experimental medicine
Year
2018
Study design
Survey study
Participants
117
What was tested
None (observational study)
Open access
Yes

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