Study, 2013
Do hormone changes during the menstrual cycle cause increases in emotional eating?
Yes. Changes in estrogen and progesterone together predict changes in emotional eating, with the highest emotional eating occurring during the midluteal phase when progesterone peaks.
What they did
196 women tracked their emotional eating daily and provided saliva samples for hormone measurement for 45 consecutive days.
What they found
Changes in estrogen and progesterone together predicted changes in emotional eating. Emotional eating was highest during the midluteal phase, when progesterone is at its peak and estrogen has a secondary peak.
What it means for you
Hormone fluctuations during the menstrual cycle directly influence emotional eating. This is the largest study of this topic and used daily measurements, making findings more reliable than previous much smaller studies. A limitation is that the study does not explain the underlying mechanisms.
196
women studied
45
consecutive days tracked
About the study
- Original title
- The interactive effects of estrogen and progesterone on changes in emotional eating across the menstrual cycle
- Authors
- Klump KL, Keel PK, Racine SE et al.
- Journal
- Journal of abnormal psychology
- Year
- 2013
- Study design
- Study
- Participants
- 196
- What was tested
- None (observation with hormone and eating tracking)
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1037/a0029524
Topics
Related studies
Case-control study, 2020
Do appetite hormones and eating behaviors change differently across the luteal phase in women with PMDD?
Cohort study, 2015
Do genetic influences on emotional eating change across the menstrual cycle?
Study, 2015
Does weight preoccupation change during the menstrual cycle, and what causes these changes?
Survey study, 2013
Do personality traits affect whether hormone changes cause emotional eating?
Case-control study, 2010
Do women with PMDD crave high-sugar and high-fat foods more than other women?
Randomised trial, 1995
Does a special carbohydrate drink help mood and thinking problems in PMS?