DIETARY CALCIUM AND MANGANESE EFFECTS ON MENSTRUAL-CYCLE SYMPTOMS

OBJECTIVE: This exploratory study was designed to determine whether di etary calcium and manganese affect menstrual symptoms in healthy women . STUDY DESIGN: Ten women with normal menstrual cycles completed the M enstrual Distress Questionnaire each cycle during a 169-day, live-in m etabolic 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 vari ance. RESULTS: Increasing calcium intake reduced mood, concentration, and behavior symptoms generally (p less-than-or-equal-to 0.05), reduce d pain during the menstrual phase of the cycle (p = 0.034), and reduce d water retention during the premenstrual phase (p = 0.041). In spite of increasing calcium intake, lower dietary manganese increased mood a nd pain symptoms during the premenstrual phase (p less-than-or-equal-t o 0.05). CONCLUSION: Dietary calcium and manganese may have a function al role in the manifestation of symptomatology typically associated wi th menstrual distress.