Dietary calcium and manganese effects on menstrual cycle symptoms

OBJECTIVE: This exploratory study was designed to determine whether dietary calcium and manganese affect menstrual symptoms in healthy women. STUDY DESIGN: Ten women with normal menstrual cycles completed the Menstrual Distress Questionnaire each cycle during a 169-day, live-in metabolic study of calcium and manganese nutrition. Women were assigned in a double-blind, Latin-square manner to each of four 39-day dietary periods: 587 or 1336 mg calcium per day with 1.0 or 5.6 mg manganese per day. Responses were analyzed by repeated-measures analysis of variance. RESULTS: Increasing calcium intake reduced mood, concentration, and behavior symptoms generally ( p ≤ 0.05), reduced pain during the menstrual phase of the cycle ( p = 0.034), and reduced water retention during the premenstrual phase ( p = 0.041). In spite of increasing calcium intake, lower dietary manganese increased mood and pain symptoms during the premenstrual phase ( p ≤ 0.05). CONCLUSION: Dietary calcium and manganese may have a functional role in the manifestation of symptomatology typically associated with menstrual distress.