Randomised trial, 2025
Can pomegranate supplements help with PMS symptoms and quality of life?
This small trial found pomegranate extract did not clearly improve overall PMS symptoms, but women who took it reported better social quality of life than women who did not. Because the study was small and not blinded, this is weak evidence.
What they did
A randomised controlled trial in western Turkey recruited women with PMS through social media. 60 women were split into two groups: 30 took pomegranate extract for 2 menstrual cycles, and 30 got no treatment. Researchers measured PMS symptoms and quality of life with standard questionnaires before and after.
What they found
After the intervention, the group taking pomegranate had higher social quality of life scores than the control group (p < .05). The abstract's reporting on overall PMS symptom severity was incomplete, but the authors concluded pomegranate may help reduce PMS symptoms and improve social quality of life.
What it means for you
Pomegranate extract might offer a small, natural boost to social wellbeing around PMS, but the trial was small, from one city, had no placebo for the control group, and the symptom-severity results reported in the abstract are unclear. More and larger studies are needed before drawing firm conclusions.
60 (30 vs 30)
Total participants
2 cycles
Duration
p < .05
Social quality of life difference
About the study
- Original title
- The effect of pomegranate supplementation on symptom severity and quality of life in women with premenstrual syndrome: A randomised controlled trial
- Authors
- Demirhan Kayacik A, Hamlaci Başkaya Y, Ilçioğlu K
- Journal
- Journal of affective disorders
- Year
- 2025
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- Participants
- 60
- What was tested
- Pomegranate extract supplementation for 2 menstrual cycles, compared to no treatment
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.09.079
Topics
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