Diet plays role in menstrual pain intensity

Diets high in foods that cause inflammation, such as meat, sugar and coffee, increased the severity of menstrual pain for adolescents and young adults, according to study findings presented at the NAMS Annual Meeting.

According to a press release, 90% of adolescents experience menstrual pain, and many use over-the-counter medication to manage it with limited effectiveness.

“I first started researching the effects of diet on menstrual pain to help remedy the pain I was experiencing,” Serah Sannoh, BS, a recent public health graduate from Rutgers University-New Brunswick in New Jersey, told Healio. “I was curious to see if any lifestyle factors, such as diet, could be a contributor to menstrual pain. This search started as something personal, but I wanted to learn more about the science and existing literature supporting…