Do dietary habits affect the premenstrual syndrome severity among a cohort of Egyptian females? A cross-sectional study

Background Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is considered a common recurring emotional as well as physical disorder which has an effect on the women’s quality of life. Results of previous studies about the relationship between PMS and food intake are contradicted. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the PMS and food consumption in menstrual females. The study was carried out in the Outpatient Physiotherapy Department Clinic in Cairo University, Giza, Egypt. The study was carried out from October 2021 to March 2022. One-hundred participants that were having PMS enrolled into this study ( n = 100) with a mean age of 27.1 ± 4.98 and a mean BMI of 26.4 ± 4.5. The PMS scale was used to assess the degree of PMS, and a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was applied to evaluate the food consumption. Results A total of 16% of females had mild PMS, 60% had moderate, and 24% had severe PMS. There was a significant relationship between PMS severity and specific food consumption as consumption of tubers as well as fish and seafood ( p = 0.03 & p = 0.008, respectively). There was a significant inverse correlation between PMS severity and the fish and seafood consumption, while there was no significant correlation between the PMS severity and tuber consumption. However, there was no significant relationship between PMS and grains, dairy products, caffeine intake, fat intake, sweets, vegetables, fruits, seasonings, and pickles. Conclusion The present study suggested that severity of PMS might be affected by specific dietary habits. Therefore, further studies are needed to investigate the relationship between PMS and amount of food consumption.