According to a new study published in the Amercian Journal of Clinical Nutrition, by taking higher doses of B vitamins Thiamine and Riboflavin, women may reduce the prevalence of their PMS symptoms by up to 35%.

Most women unfortunately experience mild symptoms of PMS which can include mood swings, tender breasts, fatigue and back ache. However, it is thought that 8-20% of the female population suffer severe enough symptoms to be considered as suffering from full-blown Pre-Menstrual Syndrome which can profoundly affect a woman’s ability to continue with her day-to-day activities.

1057 women suffering with PMS and 1968 women without PMS participated in the Nurses Health Study II and researchers found that those women with the highest average intakes of riboflavin 2-4 years prior to diagnosis had a 35% lower prevalence of PMS than those women with the lowest average intakes.

Conversely, the researchers did not report any noticeable benefits from supplementation with other B vitamins including niacin, folate, B6 and B12.

“We observed a significantly lower risk of PMS in women with high intakes of thiamine and riboflavin from food sources only. Further research is needed to evaluate the effects of B vitamins in the development of premenstrual syndrome,” reported the researchers.

Source: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition