--- title: Does eating a Mediterranean diet reduce premenstrual symptoms? description: Women who follow a Mediterranean diet more closely have fewer and less severe premenstrual symptoms. Body weight partially explains this relationship, but the url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/mediterranean-diet-quality-is-inversely-associated-with-premenstrual-symptom-2026/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does eating a Mediterranean diet reduce premenstrual symptoms? Survey study, 2026 # Does eating a Mediterranean diet reduce premenstrual symptoms? Women who follow a Mediterranean diet more closely have fewer and less severe premenstrual symptoms. Body weight partially explains this relationship, but the connection remains clear even after accounting for it. Moderate study design 849 young adult women, mean age 19.62 years, mean BMI 21.55 kg/m2 ## What they did Survey of 849 young adult women with an average age of 19.62 years. Measured how closely they followed a Mediterranean diet, their premenstrual symptoms, body weight, physical activity, and sleep duration. ## What they found Women with higher Mediterranean diet scores had lower premenstrual symptom scores. For each one point higher on the diet scale, symptom severity dropped by 0.795 points. When researchers accounted for body weight, this association weakened to 0.636 points per diet point, but remained clear. Body weight explained about 12% of the relationship between diet and symptoms. ## What it means for you Eating more Mediterranean foods might help reduce premenstrual symptoms, and body weight plays some role in this relationship. However, this was a single survey of young women, so we cannot prove that diet causes fewer symptoms or that it would work for women of all ages. 849 young adult women 19.62 mean age in years 0.795 symptom reduction per diet point ## About the study Original title Mediterranean diet quality is inversely associated with premenstrual symptom severity in young adult women Authors Çağdaş Salih Meriç, Hacı Ömer Yılmaz Journal Scientific Reports Year 2026 Study design Survey study Participants 849 Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-72204-8](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-72204-8) Original abstract Abstract Premenstrual disorders, including premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder, are common cyclic conditions influenced by neuroendocrine, inflammatory, and metabolic mechanisms. Emerging evidence suggests that diet quality may be associated with premenstrual symptom severity; however, the association between Mediterranean diet adherence and PMDs, particularly the extent to which this association may be confounded by body mass index (BMI), remains insufficiently characterized. This cross-sectional study included 849 young adult women. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire assessing dietary habits, sociodemographic characteristics, menstrual history, physical activity, sleep duration, and anthropometric measurements. Mediterranean diet adherence was evaluated using the “Mediterranean Diet Quality Index (KIDMED)”, and premenstrual symptoms were assessed using the “Premenstrual Symptoms Diagnostic Scale (PSDS)”. Multivariable linear regression analyses were performed to examine associations between KIDMED scores and PSDS outcomes. BMI was added to the fully adjusted model to evaluate its potential confounding influence on these associations. The mean age of participants was 19.62 ± 2.02 years, and the mean BMI was 21.55 ± 3.16 kg/m 2 . Higher KIDMED scores were significantly associated with lower PSDS total scores. Specifically, each one-unit increase in KIDMED score was significantly associated with a 0.795-point reduction in PSDS total score (95%CI: -1.255; -0.335; Model 1; R 2 = 0.013, p < 0.001). After adjustment for demographic and lifestyle covariates, higher KIDMED scores remained associated with lower total PSDS scores (Model 2: B = − 0.723, p = 0.003). Further adjustment for BMI modestly attenuated this association (Model 3: B = − 0.636, p = 0.007), corresponding to an approximately 12% reduction in the magnitude of the KIDMED coefficient, while the association remained statistically significant. Greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet was independently associated with lower premenstrual symptom severity. Adjustment for BMI modestly attenuated, but did not eliminate, this association, suggesting that BMI may account for part of the observed relationship between Mediterranean diet quality and premenstrual symptoms. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[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 Systematic review, 2025 Do nutritional interventions help with emotional symptoms of PMS? Systematic review, 2025 How common are PMS, PMDD, and painful periods in nursing students, and do they affect their schooling? Review, 2001 What causes PMS and PMDD, and how are they treated? Review, 2001 What are PMS and PMDD, and how are they treated? Survey study, 2023 What factors make some women more likely to have PMS or PMDD? Review, 2023 Can diet and vitamins help reduce PMS symptoms? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗