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September 11, 2018

Sugar Worsens Cramps: Myth Or

Truth? By Sandra Enuma
As a teenager, I was fortunate to only experience mild discomfort during my period

and I used to think other girls that would skip out on school because of menstrual

cramps were wussies and had low pain tolerance. I was especially befuddled when

other girls my age would forego sugar in all forms because it apparently worsened

their cramps. I would ask, albeit in an overly conf ident manner, what the correlation

between sugar and cramps was. From the stance of a 15 year old, there really was no

correlation between the digestive and reproductive organs, so why should something

you ate affect your menstrual cycle? And then, why only sugar? What was so special

about sugar? Of course, nobody amongst us had a valid argument to support these

claims and the most skeptical of us, me included, chucked it up to being plain old

wives’ tales and superstitions.

As was to be expected, I became pretty careless with my food intake, consuming sugar

and gulping down f izzy drinks like it was no man’s business. Eventually, my good

fortune ran out and my previously easy periods turned into a war zone. I would use
fortune ran out and my previously easy periods turned into a war zone. I would use

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up 2 packs of sanitary pads before the second day ran out, pain killers became my

trusty companion. Even with all these symptoms, I was still adamant that sugar had

nothing to do with heav y and painful periods. My friends suggested we do a control

experiment and told me to lay off sugar for an entire month till my period came and

take note of any changes. I listened and everything returned to normal. The old

wives’ tale wasn’t so superstitious after all!

Like me, there are still many ladies out there struggling to f ind the correlation

between high sugar intake and a heavier, more painful period. Thankfully, science

and research has come to the rescue.

Normally at the beginning of a period, the endometrial cells that form the lining of

the uterus produce large amounts of prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are one of the

more potent mediators that cause increased blood f low, blood vessel constriction,

blood clotting, pain,  chemotaxis (chemical signals that summon white blood cells),

and subsequent dysfunction of tissues and organs. When these cells are broken down

during menstruation, the prostaglandins are released. They constrict the blood vessels

in the uterus and make its muscle layer contract, causing painful cramps. Some of the

prostaglandins also enter the bloodstream, causing headache, nausea, vomiting,

diarrhea, muscle aches and pains. In fact, all of the symptoms of PMS are linked,

directly or indirectly, to the over-production of inf lammatory prostaglandins.

Research has shown that the level of prostaglandins in women with menstrual pain is

higher than that of women with little or no pain.

When you take a lot of sugar your body produces a wide variety of inf lammatory
When you take a lot of sugar, your body produces a wide variety of inf lammatory

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chemicals, including prostaglandins, as a response to raised blood sugar levels. This is

your body’s response to toxic agents, and as long as the they persist, prostaglandins

will continue to be produced and add to the inf lammatory process.

In summary, the higher the levels of prostaglandins in your body, the more painful

and heavier your period. Sugar increases the level of prostaglandin in your body and

you should avoid eating them for a relatively easier and pain-free period.

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