This Common Fruit May Be Worth Adding To Your Period Routine
Period cramps can turn an ordinary day into one spent planning around a heating pad, painkillers, or both. If that sounds familiar, you may be curious about anything that could make those days a little easier.
New research1 looked at a surprisingly simple option. When adding fresh strawberries to their daily diets, women reported less menstrual pain.
About the study
Researchers at the University of Huelva in Spain recruited 64 women ages 18 to 35 who regularly experienced period cramps.
They randomly assigned them to either continue their usual diet or add 250 grams of fresh strawberries each day for one month, or about 1½ cups.
Participants rated their pain at the start of the study, after one month, and again two months later.
The researchers had also set a benchmark in advance, requiring the strawberry group to report at least a one-point greater reduction in pain than the comparison group for the difference to be considered meaningful.
Strawberries were of interest because they contain polyphenols, including anthocyanins, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Daily strawberries were linked to less period pain
After one month, women who ate strawberries daily reported significantly less menstrual pain than those in the comparison group. The difference also met the researchers' threshold for a meaningful improvement.
The lower pain scores were still seen at the two-month follow-up, even though the women had stopped eating strawberries a month earlier. That's an interesting finding, but it doesn't prove strawberries have a lasting pain-relieving effect.
RELATED READ: Is This The Best Supplement For Energy?
Why strawberries could help with cramps
Period pain is partly driven by prostaglandins, compounds that help the uterus contract and can contribute to inflammation and pain.
Strawberries contain plant compounds that may influence some of these inflammatory processes, but the trial didn't measure inflammation or prostaglandin levels, so we can't say that explains the results.
The study was also small and unblinded, meaning participants knew whether they were eating strawberries.
And, as a pilot trial with partial funding from a Spanish strawberry producers' association, its findings need to be confirmed in larger, more rigorous studies without a potential bias in funding.
- Keep strawberries in the mix: If you enjoy them, add them to yogurt, oatmeal, smoothies, or eat them on their own. The study used about 1½ cups daily for one month.
- Keep your usual pain-relief tools: Strawberries shouldn't replace approaches that already work for you, such as NSAIDs, heat, exercise, or treatment recommended by your healthcare provider.
- Pay attention to severe cramps: If period pain regularly makes you miss work, school, exercise, or other activities, talk with a healthcare professional. Severe or worsening pain can sometimes be a sign of endometriosis or another underlying condition.
The takeaway
Strawberries aren't a proven treatment for period pain, but this small trial gives researchers an interesting food-based avenue to explore.
For now, they can be part of a balanced anti-inflammatory diet, rather than a replacement for established pain relief.