More iron linked to reduced risk of severe PMS: study

NEW YORK (REUTERS) - Women who get a little more than the recommended daily amount of iron in their diets may be less likely to get a more severe form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), according to a US study.

Researchers writing in the American Journal of Epidemiology followed about 3,000 women over 10 years and found that those who consumed more than 20 milligrams (mg) per day of iron sources were 30 to 40 per cent less likely to develop PMS than women who got less of the mineral.

"Most previous studies of PMS have focused on effective treatments and factors that differ between women who have PMS and those who don't," said lead author Elizabeth Bertone-Johnson from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.

"We were interested in looking further at some specific minerals," she added, noting that her team had previously studied the relationship between vitamin intake and PMS.