Depression and mood swings of PMT linked to alcohol

Drinking could interfere with hormone levels, say researchers

PMT may be caused by alcohol in more than a fifth of cases, research suggests.

Women who drink more than one glass of wine a day also have almost twice the risk of suffering, compared with light drinkers, the findings show.

Scientists examined 19 studies involving more than 47,000 women for links between drinking and premenstrual symptoms, such as mood swings and depression.

Studies have previously shown that premenstrual syndrome (PMS) tends to be more severe among women who drink alcohol. But it has not been clear whether this is due to the alcohol itself causing the problem, or that women reach for the bottle in response to more severe symptoms.

The Spanish review, published in the medical journal BMJ Open, estimates that even moderate drinking is enough to increase symptoms by 45 per cent. The risks rose to 79 per cent among women drinking more than one glass daily.

Overall, 21 per cent of PMT cases in the UK and other European countries were found to be associated with alcohol intake, researchers found. The study, which claims to be the first to examine the relationship between alcohol consumption and PMT, did not prove that alcohol was the main cause. But research by the University of Santiago de Compostela said the size of the studies and consistency of the results provided substantial evidence that drinking appeared to increase the risks.

Researchers said alcohol may interfere with hormone levels involved in the menstrual cycle, and interfere with the production of key “mood” chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin, low levels of which are linked to depression.

Drugs which target serotonin are already used to treat PMT.

Scientists said it was also possible that women with alterations in such levels might, too, be more sensitive to alcohol.

Six in 10 British women drink alcohol. More than one in six exceed recommended weekly limits of 14 units (around six glasses of wine).

Dr Bahi Takkouche, the lead author, said the findings were important given the rates of alcohol drinking among women, especially in Europe.

Globally, the proportion of women who drink alcohol is thought to be around 30 per cent. Across Europe the figure is more than 60 per cent, including 12.5 per cent heavy drinkers.

“Based on the figures above and on our results, we estimate that 11 per cent of the PMS cases may be associated to alcohol intake worldwide and 21 per cent in Europe,” wrote the researchers.

“Furthermore, heavy drinking may be associated with 4 per cent of the PMS cases in the world and over 9 per cent in Europe.”

It added that if the association was causal in nature, eliminating heavy drinking in women could prevent one in 12 cases in Europe.

79pc The rise in the risk of suffering PMT among women who drink more than a glass of wine daily