L. Dye et al., FOOD CRAVING DURING THE MENSTRUAL-CYCLE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO STRESS, HAPPINESS OF RELATIONSHIP AND DEPRESSION - A PRELIMINARY INQUIRY, Journal of affective disorders, 34(3), 1995, pp. 157-164
The associations between retrospective ratings of food craving and dep
ression during the premenstrual, menstrual and postmenstrual phases of
the preceding menstrual cycle and ratings of current levels of stress
and happiness bf relationship were examined in 5546 women. In each ph
ase examined, the severity of food craving was very strongly related t
o the reported severity of depression. Overall levels of food craving
were inversely related to happiness of relationship and there was some
interaction of this effect with on-going stress. However, once the ef
fect of depression was accounted for there was no effect of either cur
rent stress or happiness of relationship on the cycle-related pattern
of food craving and in general the magnitude of the effect of these ps
ychosocial variables was very small compared with that of depression.
Food cravings were also reported in the absence of depression, tending
to show a cycle-related pattern, maximal premenstrually, declining du
ring menstruation and further postmenstrually. Whilst this is consiste
nt with a cycle-related biological explanation, it remains unclear whe
ther the striking amplification of food craving ratings in association
with co-existing depression, in all three phases examined, is also bi
ologically based or dependent on psychological mechanisms. In view of
the retrospective nature of the ratings of mood and craving and the li
mited assessment of stress and happiness of relationship, these findin
gs should be regarded as preliminary. They are, however, of potential
importance and the association between these two common phenomena dese
rves further study.