Association between vegetarian diet and menstrual problems in young women: a case presentation and brief review

Griffith, Joan R.; Omar, Hatim A.

doi:10.1016/s1083-3188(03)00154-2

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…To our knowledge, this is the first large population-based study to show these differences. Although previous studies have reported menstrual irregularity in vegetarians, these have been restricted to small selected groups 16 – 18 . While recent research suggests that there may be links between iron status, menstrual problems, tiredness and cognitive function 15 , 32 , there is clearly a need for more population studies of the interrelationships between diet, activity, BMI and menstrual problems, and their impact on tiredness and mental health.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several studies have identified low iron and related symptoms in vegetarians and meat avoiders 15 . One large Scandinavian study ( n = 2041) has confirmed higher levels of symptoms such as depression, tiredness and headaches among low meat consumers 6 , and smaller studies have identified menstrual irregularity among vegetarian women 16 – 18 . Others have found that adolescent vegetarians were more likely to attempt self-harm than non-vegetarians 8 .…”

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confidence: 99%

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How does the health and well-being of young Australian vegetarian and semi-vegetarian women compare with non-vegetarians?

Baines

Powers

Brown

2007

Public Health Nutr.

118

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Objective: To compare the sociodemographic characteristics, health status and health service use of vegetarians, semi-vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Design: In cross-sectional data analyses of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health in 2000, 9113 women (aged 22-27 years) were defined as nonvegetarians if they reported including red meat in their diet, as semi-vegetarians if they excluded red meat and as vegetarians if they excluded meat, poultry and fish from their diet. Results: The estimated prevalence was 3% and 10% for vegetarian and semi-vegetarian young women. Compared with non-vegetarians, vegetarians and semi-vegetarians were more likely to live in urban areas and to not be married. Vegetarians and semivegetarians had lower body mass index (mean (95% confidence interval): 22. ) and tended to exercise more. Semi-vegetarians and vegetarians had poorer mental health, with 21 -22% reporting depression compared with 15% of non-vegetarians (P , 0.001). Low iron levels and menstrual symptoms were also more common in both vegetarian groups. Vegetarian and semi-vegetarian women were more likely to consult alternative health practitioners and semi-vegetarians reported taking more prescription and non-prescription medications. Compared with non-vegetarians, semi-vegetarians were less likely and vegetarians much less likely to be taking the oral contraceptive pill. Conclusion: The levels of physical activity and body mass indices of the vegetarian and semi-vegetarian women suggest they are healthier than non-vegetarians. However, the greater reports of menstrual problems and the poorer mental health of these young women may be of clinical significance.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

How does the health and well-being of young Australian vegetarian and semi-vegetarian women compare with non-vegetarians?

Baines

Powers

Brown

2007

Public Health Nutr.

118

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“…Accumulating studies have indicated that vegan diets may be a cause of menstrual disorders and thus, the absorption and metabolism of nutrients is indispensible in maintaining normal menstrual cycles [ 64 ]. According to our data, several QXHC candidate targets, such as INS (for CH, CX, DG and HH), PRKACA (for CH, CX and HH), PPP1CC (for JG, GC, NX and SM) and CALM1 (for CH, CX, HH, TR and WY), were all significantly associated with Insulin signaling pathway, which may be implicated into many biological processes, including lipid synthesis and storage, protein and glycogen synthesis, as well as cell growth and survival [ 65 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A network pharmacology-based strategy deciphers the underlying molecular mechanisms of Qixuehe Capsule in the treatment of menstrual disorders

Zhang

Mao

et al. 2017

Chin Med

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BackgroundQiXueHe Capsule (QXHC) is a Chinese patent drug that is extensively used for the treatment of menstrual disorders. However, its underlying pharmacological mechanisms have not been fully elucidated.MethodsA list of QXHC putative targets were predicted using MetaDrug. An interaction network using links between QXHC putative targets and the known therapeutic targets of menstrual disorders was constructed. QXHC candidate targets were also identified via calculating the topological feature values of nodes in the network. Additionally, molecular docking simulation was performed to determine the binding efficiency of QXHC compound-putative target pairs.ResultsA total of 1022 putative targets were predicted for 311 chemical components containing in QXHC. Following the calculation of topological features of QXHC putative target-known therapeutic target of menstrual disorder network, 66 QXHC candidate targets for the treatment of menstrual disorders were identified. Functionally, QXHC candidate targets were significantly associated with several biological pathways, such as VEGF and Chemokine signaling pathways, Alanine/aspartate/glutamate metabolism, Long-term depression and T/B cell receptor signaling pathway. Moreover, molecular docking simulation demonstrated that there were 20 pairs of QXHC chemical component-candidate target had the strong binding free energy.ConclusionsThis novel and scientific network pharmacology-based study holistically deciphers that the pharmacological mechanisms of QXHC in the treatment of menstrual disorders may be associated with its involvement into hemopoiesis, analgesia, nutrients absorption and metabolism, mood regulation, as well as immune modulation.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13020-017-0145-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…Only few human studies have evaluated the effects of dietary creatine intake on reproductive systems, where creatine recovered normal fetal development in a pregnant woman with creatine deficiency syndrome (Alessandrì et al., 2020 ), and improved pelvic functional status in women with stress‐predominant urinary incontinence (Takacs et al., 2023 ). Additionally, menstrual disturbances seem to be more prevalent among women who do not include creatine‐containing foods in their diets (Griffith & Omar, 2003 ). Although the present results are preliminary, the findings from prior studies advocate for a more comprehensive investigation into the potential links between creatine consumption and female reproductive health.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between dietary intake of creatine and female reproductive health: Evidence from NHANES 2017–2020

Ostojic,

Stea,

Ellery

et al. 2024

Food Science & Nutrition

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The hormonal changes in women influence creatine dynamics, emphasizing its potential importance during menstruation, pregnancy, postpartum, menopause, and postmenopause. Yet, limited research explores creatine's impact on female reproductive health at the population level. Our study investigated the relationship between dietary creatine intake and reproductive health indices in US women using data from the 2017–2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). We extracted a dataset containing females aged 12 years and above who provided details about their reproductive health and dietary habits. Daily creatine intake was quantified as a relative amount (mg per kg body mass) and did not include creatine from dietary supplements and pharmacological agents. A daily requirement for dietary creatine for healthy women was employed to classify respondents into two separate subpopulations: (1) suboptimal intake of creatine (<13 mg per kg body mass per day) or (2) recommended intake (dietary creatine ≥ 13 mg per kg body mass per day). A total of 4522 female participants from the NHANES study (age 44.5 ± 20.5 years) provided data on their reproductive health and dietary intake. The average daily creatine intake for the group was 10.5 ± 10.8 mg per kg body mass. The odds ratio for having irregular periods in women consuming ≥13 mg of creatine per kg body mass daily (recommended intake) compared to those with suboptimal intake was 0.75 (95% CI, from 0.66 to 0.86), indicating a significant association between higher intake of dietary creatine and lower risk of oligomenorrhea (p < .001). Moreover, women consuming less than 13 mg of creatine per kg body mass faced an increased risk of fetal macrosomia (OR 1.26; p = .04), pelvic infection (OR 1.68; p = .01), hysterectomy (OR 1.42; p < .001), oophorectomy (OR 1.54; p < .001), and receiving hormone replacement therapy (OR 1.26; p = .02). Consuming a creatine‐rich diet has been linked to lower risks of reproductive issues in US women aged 12 and above. Those consuming ≥13 mg of creatine per kg body mass daily showed notably lower risks of irregular menstrual periods, obstetric conditions, and pelvic pathology. Further studies are needed to confirm these potential benefits.

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Association between vegetarian diet and menstrual problems in young women: a case presentation and brief review

Cited by 9 publications

References 48 publications

How does the health and well-being of young Australian vegetarian and semi-vegetarian women compare with non-vegetarians?

How does the health and well-being of young Australian vegetarian and semi-vegetarian women compare with non-vegetarians?

A network pharmacology-based strategy deciphers the underlying molecular mechanisms of Qixuehe Capsule in the treatment of menstrual disorders

Association between dietary intake of creatine and female reproductive health: Evidence from NHANES 2017–2020

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