Anti PMS Supplements - Reducing Premenstrual Syndrome Symptoms

by Webmaster, All4NaturalHealth.com

Are you looking for potentially helpful anti PMS supplements?

Broadly speaking, PMS, or premenstrual syndrome, is a term given to a cluster of symptoms which occur about 7 to 10 days before each menstrual cycle commences. The signs and symptoms of PMS include bloating, breast tenderness, cramping, mood changes, etc. The causes of PMS are not well understood, although hormonal changes are believed to be the main trigger.

Vitamin B6

A number of studies has shown that between 50 to 400 mg of vitamin B6 taken each day for a few months helped to alleviate PMS symptoms. One particular analysis looked at previously conducted studies on the subject, and found that vitamin B6 had twice the effectiveness of reducing premenstrual syndrome symptoms, as compared to placebo.

One word of caution - more than 200 mg of vitamin B6 per day may bring about some unwanted reactions, so it's best to exercise caution; ideally, you would want to consult with a qualified health care practitioner if you wish to take higher doses of this B vitamin as an anti PMS supplement.

Evening Primrose Oil

Another potentially useful anti PMS supplement is evening primrose oil.

It has been found that women who suffered from PMS were less able to convert the essential fatty acid linoleic acid to gamma linolenic acid (GLA); this could then result in a deficiency in GLA. As evening primrose oil has good amounts of GLA, it has been researched as a treatment for premenstrual syndrome symptoms - indeed, some double-blind studies found this oil to be effective for this purpose, although some studies also suggested no benefit.

Generally, some physicians still consider evening primrose oil a worthwhile supplement to try, with about 3 to 4 grams of it to be taken each day; using it over a few menstrual cycles may be the better way to use this supplement.

Mineral Supplements

A few minerals have also been investigated as possible anti PMS supplements.

It has been shown that women whose diets have more calcium have a lower risk of getting serious PMS. Further, double-blind studies have suggested that calcium supplements - about 1,000 to 1,200 mg each day - helped to alleviate the symptoms of PMS.

A link between premenstrual syndrome and magnesium deficiency has also been found. A few studies have suggested that supplementing with magnesium - as little as 200 mg each day for about 8 weeks - helped to reduce PMS related symptoms; these included headaches, breast tenderness, and bloating.

Evidence from preliminary research has also suggested that potassium supplements taken over 3 to 4 menstrual cycles could help to get rid of PMS symptoms.

Other Supplements

Another of the anti PMS supplements that is potentially useful for dealing with premenstrual syndrome is L-tryptophan, which is an amino acid. In one double-blind study, 6 grams of this nutrient each day taken for 17 days helped do the trick. This amino acid, however, can only be obtained via prescription, and it has not been ascertained if 5-hydroxytryptophan, or 5-HTP, which is a metabolic byproduct of the abovementioned nutrient, would be able to carry out the same job.

In addition, 300 IU each day of vitamin E may assist in reducing premenstrual syndrome symptoms.

There have also been studies which looked at several nutrients in conjunction - including vitamins A, B-complex, B6, and E, as well as magnesium - and found that taking a multivitamin supplement which contained these compounds helped to improve PMS symptoms.

Conclusion

So these are some of the potentially helpful anti PMS supplements. While research has suggested that they work on premenstrual symptoms, do note that it is usually better to obtain your nutrition from natural whole foods, as supposed to supplements.

And when it comes to supplements - PMS supplements included - whole food supplements (for example, evening primrose oil) are also generally better than single compound supplements (for example, calcium or vitamin E capsules or tablets).

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