Interview study, 1992

Can eating carbohydrates help ease PMS symptoms by increasing serotonin in the brain?

There is evidence that carbohydrates may help ease PMS symptoms by boosting serotonin, a brain chemical that controls mood and eating. Women with PMS who crave carbohydrates may be trying to boost serotonin naturally.

Early or limited evidence No population studied (review of existing research)

What they did

This was a review of how serotonin pathways control mood and eating, and how this connects to PMS, seasonal affective disorder, and depression. The authors examined how eating carbohydrates affects the chemicals needed to make serotonin.

What they found

Serotonin controls mood and eating patterns. Both PMS and seasonal affective disorder involve cyclical mood and appetite changes and both improve with drugs that boost serotonin. Eating carbohydrates increases tryptophan (a chemical building block for serotonin) in the blood and increases serotonin production in animal brains.

What it means for you

Carbohydrate and sweet cravings during PMS may reflect your body trying to boost serotonin to ease mood symptoms. This is a theoretical idea based on animal studies and observations, not yet tested directly in women with PMS.

About the study

Original title: Serotonin, carbohydrates, and atypical depression
Authors: Møller SE
Journal: Pharmacology & toxicology
Year: 1992
Study design: Interview study
What was tested: None (literature review)
Read the paper: doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0773.1992.tb01630.x

Topics