If you're suffering from PMS or Pre-Menstrual Syndrome, you may crave sugar and salt. . .But your body may actually need calcium:

Dr. Tys-Jacobs: "We think that there's an underlying calcium deficiency...there's a calcium imbalance...and that supplementing, or changing your diet to include more dairy products would correct that calcium imbalance."

Dr. Susan Tys-Jacobs, of the Columbia University School of Medicine, says increasing daily calcium intake to above one-thousand milligrams may reduce PMS symptoms.  A recent multi-center study looked at 17 common symptoms, including pain, irritability and food cravings:

Dr. Tys-Jacobs: "Across the board, calcium was found to be effective, and it was effective for 15 out of 17 symptoms."

If you want to start by adjusting your diet instead of taking pills, says Dr. Tys-Jacobs, try three or four glasses of low-fat milk each day.  Or combine milk and yogurt.

Dr. Tys-Jacobs: "If that doesn't help, they have to turn toward a good calcium supplement that is bio-available, and I like the chewable calcium tablets."

Dr. Tys-Jacobs stresses that in order to achieve the full benefit of calcium, you must make the change every day of the month.

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Created: 10/16/2001  -  Donnica Moore, M.D.