Can eating brown sugar or dark red sugar relieve menstrual pain? Does eating ice or drinking ice water cause menstrual pain? Myth busted once and for all

Menstrual cramps are a common problem for women. There are many myths about what causes or relieves menstrual cramps, such as "Can eating brown sugar or brown sugar relieve menstrual cramps?", "Can eating ice or drinking ice water easily cause menstrual cramps?", "Will eating too much oil cause menstrual cramps?" Can these foods really improve menstrual cramps? Or will it make the period pain worse? Let’s hear what nutritionist Lin Shihang has to say.

Myth 1: Will eating ice or drinking ice water cause menstrual cramps?

Will eating ice or drinking ice water cause menstrual cramps? Nutritionist Lin Shihang said that in the past it was often said that eating ice or drinking ice water would cause uterine coldness in girls, leading to irregular menstruation or menstrual cramps, and this topic has always been a point of debate between Chinese and Western medicine. A 2020 study showed that after consuming an average of 480 ml of an iced drink (12 degrees Celsius), the temperature of the stomach fluid dropped from 36.5 degrees to 23.3 degrees, but returned to 30 degrees in 5 minutes and returned to 35 degrees in about 15 minutes (1), so it should not cause changes in physical condition or affect health.

However, there was a paper published in 2024 that specifically explored the correlation between "cold exposure" such as cold water, eating ice, and room temperature and menstrual pain in Eastern and Western women. The experimental results are as follows (2):

Summary: Will drinking ice water cause menstrual cramps?

• Drinking ice water in winter was significantly positively associated with menstrual pain in white women in states other than California

• No correlation was found between drinking ice water and menstrual pain in Asian women

Summary 2⟫Will eating ice cause menstrual pain?

• The frequency of eating ice cream in winter is significantly associated with the severity of menstrual pain in Asian women

• No association was found between drinking ice and menstrual pain in white women

Although the results were mixed, this study still gave the following conclusions:

Cold exposure is significantly associated with the frequency and severity of menstrual pain

Although there is no way to clarify the cause and effect relationship, nutritionist Lin Shihang recommends that if you feel strongly, you can still avoid consuming ice drinks or ice products and prioritize comfort.

"Cold exposure" is significantly correlated with the frequency and severity of menstrual pain.

Myth 2: Can brown sugar and brown sugar improve menstrual pain? Or will it get worse?

Can brown sugar and brown sugar relieve menstrual pain?

In traditional diet therapy, brown sugar and black sugar are often used as food supplements during menstruation. Although there is a lack of large-scale and international research, there are still small studies that indicate that brown sugar or black sugar may have the effect of relieving menstrual pain.

• In 2013, a study published in the Nursing Journal looked at 586 female students from technical colleges in southern Taiwan and found that drinking ginger, jujube and brown sugar tea helped relieve menstrual cramps (3).

Summary 2: Will eating sugar frequently cause menstrual cramps?

Although eating brown sugar and dark brown sugar may help relieve menstrual cramps, long-term sugar addiction may actually be related to menstrual cramps. Although some studies are inconsistent, there are still three papers that point out that excessive sugar intake is significantly associated with menstrual cramps (4). Being addicted to sugar is not a good thing either, so if you are a girl who likes to drink sugary drinks and eat desserts, you may want to reduce your sugar intake to see if it can improve your menstrual pain problem.

Summary 3⟫Will eating too much oil cause menstrual pain?

There are not many studies on the relationship between fat intake and menstrual pain. Some studies have shown that a high intake of saturated fatty acids, such as butter and cream, is associated with menstrual pain, while girls who eat a low-fat diet tend to have milder menstrual pain symptoms (4).

Summary 4⟫Will eating too much salt cause menstrual pain?

Although some studies have shown that there is no significant relationship between a high-sodium diet and menstrual pain, there are also literatures indicating that girls who eat more salty food are more likely to experience menstrual pain (4). Eating too much sodium is not good for health, such as blood pressure. If a girl has menstrual pain, she might as well make her diet lighter, which may help with the pain.

Conclusion

Nutritionist Lin Shihang said that the relationship between menstrual pain and eating habits and content has not yet been fully established, so it is recommended that girls who often experience menstrual pain can try to change their eating habits, try to reduce ice water and ice products, and eat lighter foods. Perhaps there will be improvements, which is also a good thing!

Source:

1. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2000. 10(4):394-403

2. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023. 21(1):56

3. Nursing magazine. 2013.60.3. Pages 40-50

4. Gynecol Obstet Invest . 84(3):209-224