- Premenstrual food cravings affect many people, and a new study suggests they might be a result of decreased insulin sensitivity.
- High insulin sensitivity allows the cells of the body to use glucose more efficiently, lowering blood glucose levels.
- The study has found that insulin sensitivity varies throughout the menstrual cycle, being the highest before ovulation and lowest in the days preceding a menstrual period.
- The researchers suggest this could explain why many women feel much hungrier just before their period.
Craving chocolate and carbohydrate-rich foods in the days before a menstrual period, resulting in weight gain, is common in many people who menstruate.
New research, recently published in
The researchers suggest their findings explain why so many women experience hunger just prior to getting their period, why their metabolism slows, and why weight gain is so much more likely.
“This is an interesting finding — diabetics have reported cyclical changes in their blood sugar management for many years […] It is great to see some research into this at last!”
— Sally King, founder of Menstrual Matters, fellow in menstrual physiology, Dept. of Women and Children’s Health, King’s College London, who was not involved in the study.
However, Dr. Kara McElligot, obstetrician-gynecologist, NAMS-certified menopause practitioner, and medical advisor at Mira, who was not involved in the study, cautioned: “This is an exploratory observational study that provides some compelling pilot information. A study of this level can suggest possibilities but not prove that the conclusions are true.”
“The methodology of this study was too limited to definitively conclude that insulin sensitivity is reduced during the luteal…
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