Authors
Affiliation

Exploring Dietary Habits and Lifestylefor the Prevention of Menstrual Pain.
Yuna Naraoka1,3, Satomi Minato-Inokawa2,3, Momo Hosokawa3
1. Intractable Disease Research Center Juntendo University, Graduate School of Medicine
2. Department of Bioscience, Graduate School of Agriculture, Ehime University
3. General Incorporated Association Luvtelli

Poster No. PAB(T3)-122
Results

Background and Objectives

Participant: 127 Healthy women aged 18–39 years oldSurveys:▶Brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire (BDHQ)▶ Body composition measurements▶Questionnaire surveys on menstrual status and lifestyle habits
Table 1. Back ground information
AgeHightWeight
Body Fat
Body Fat
Lean Body Mass
Muscle Mass
BMILMIyears
cmkg%kgkg
kg-Mean ± SD
23.8 ± 7.42
158.1 ± 5.71
53.3 ± 7.75
29.7 ± 6.73
16.1 ± 5.18
37.1 ± 4.62
35.4 ± 3.31
21.3 ± 2.62
14.8 ± 1.47

We compared thenutrition intake ofthetwogroups,
divided by the levelof menstrual pain.
Mann–Whitney Utest and χ-square test
were used, and thesignificancelevel
was set at p<0.05.

Keywords
Menstrual pain, n-6 fatty acids, Healthy woman

4002000*

id d idac c aci c acciur ti idi
La yris ach
M Ar10005000idaccirea
St

Mann-Whiteny, *; P<0.05, **; P<0.01

mg/1000 kcal

Methods

mg/1000 kcal

mg/1000 kcal

In the recent years, the percentage of
41.3% FEEL MENSTRUAL PAIN SEVERE
working women in Japan has been
The subjects were divided into two groups:
increasing annually, reaching 44.4%
Heavy
in 2019. Among women-specificPainful to the point of falling asleep
health problems, dysmenorrhea andCannot spend time without painkillers
premenstrual syndrome (PMS) often
Light
reduce the quality of life of women atNo obstacle in daily life
the reproductive age, leading toAlmost no obstacle
economic losses. However, theFig 2 . Do you have menstrual Pain?
correlation between menstrual pain
Fig 1 . Ratio of Working Woman in 20s to 40s
and a daily meal is still unclear.
FATTY ACIDS INTAKE & MENSTRUAL PAIN
The purpose of this study was toSaturated Acid
n-6 Un-saturated Acidcompare the food and drink intake
6,8281000
352500and lifestyle habits of the groups**
Billions of yen
30
*
800
2000
with mild and severe menstrual
Drug medicine
25pain, and to identify dietary habits
600
1500
**
20
One-year socio-economic burden of
to prevent menstrual pain.
premenstrual symptoms
15105**

0did
ac c aci
ciino
Heavy
ole dienniaLs
Light
γ icoEFig. 3 Comparison of Nutrition intake

The heavy group consumed significantly more saturated fatty acids,
especially lauric acid, myristic acid, arachidic acid, and unsaturated
fatty acids, namely the n-6 unsaturated fatty acids, eicosadienoicacid, gamma-linolenic acid, and linoleic acid (p<0.05). Excess fattyacids, especially n-6 fatty acids, might increase prostaglandin
synthesis through the arachidonic cascade. On the other hand,saturated fatty acids may have promoted inflammation by activatingmacrophages.

Conflict of Interest
No conflicting interest is there in this study.

MENSTRUAL PAIN & PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME
yaveH

Χ2=8.324, P<0.01hLig

Χ2=8.595, P<0.01Χ2=18.348, P<0.001tFig. 4 Comparison of Premenstrual Syndrome

People with severe menstrual pain are significantly more likely tofeel PMS.
DO SWEETS CAUSE OF MENSTRUAL PAIN?
**The “Heavy” group ate 40
Heavy**
significantly more fatty 30
Lighta c i d - r i c h f o o d s and20** **carbohydrate-rich foods.
10
Carbohydrate or sugar*0intake
might
cause
onta
la
am
ise
as
Co
reUdnaPcnfluctuations in blood sugar
yoce
Malevels,
disturbing
the IMann-Whiteny, *; P<0.05, **; P<0.01
autonomic nerves andFig. 5 Comparison of food intake
chilling the body, leadingto pain.
g/1000kcal

Title

Conclusions

In healthy women without the disease, the severity of menstrual
pain was associated with n-6 fatty acids in a dietary recall study,
which suggested that changing their daily diet could improve theirmenstrual pain.

Further Collaborators
Yuichi Sato, M.D., Ph.D.
Obstetrics and Gynecology Tatedebari Sato Hospital