Vitamin D plays vital role in female reproductive health, and there is also evidence for an association between vitamin D levels and menstrual problems such as premenstrual PMS and dysmenorrhea.
In a randomised, triple-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 78 women with PMS and dysmenorrhea were divided randomly into experimental and control groups to receive one capsule of either 500 mg of curcuminoid and 5mg piperine, or placebo.
Piperine has previously been shown to increase the bioavailability of curcumin.
They took them daily from approximately seven days before menstruation until three days after, for three consecutive menstrual cycles.
Serum vitamin D levels, renal function, and liver enzymes were also measured before and after intervention.
“Curcumin significantly increased the median (IQR) serum levels of vitamin D [from 12.8 ng/ml)7.0–24.6) to 16.2 ng/ml (6.4–28.8); P = 0.045], compared with placebo [from 18.6 ng/ml (2.2–26.8) to 21.3 ng/ml (5.2–27.1); P = 0.17,” the researchers wrote.
“Whilst the percentage of individuals showing improvement in Vitamin D status at the end-of-trial, was significantly higher in the CUR group versus to baseline (p = 0.039), when compared with the placebo group, this was not statistically significant (25% vs. 18%; p = 0.71).”
Further studies
They also cautioned that the improvement in the vitamin D levels does not necessarily mean that curcumin supplementation is effective against deficiency, and suggested that further studies are needed.
Nevertheless, they concluded: “Taken together, our observations suggest that curcumin supplementation in women with PMS and dysmenorrhea led to a significant improvement of Vitamin D, AST and direct bilirubin levels {which assess liver function] but did not affect blood glucose, uric acid, calcium, phosphorous and lipid profiles biomarkers. Future investigations are encouraged to look at possible dose-response association for the beneficial effect of curcuminoids on vitamin D deficiency.”
The same research team previously showed that high-dose vitamin D supplementation (50,000 IU/week of cholecalciferol) reduced the prevalence of PMS from 14.9% to 4.8%.
Similar results were also found for the prevalence of subjects with dysmenorrhea (35.9% reduced to 32.4%), and in subjects with both PMS and dysmenorrhea (32.7% reduced 25.7%).
Vitamin D supplementation was associated with a reduction in the incidence of several symptoms of PMS such as backache, as well as decrement in pain severity of dysmenorrhea
They concluded high dose vitamin D supplementation can reduce the prevalence of PMS and dysmenorrhea as well as having positive effects on the physical and psychological symptoms of PMS.
Source: BMC Complement Med Therapy
doi: 10.1186/s12906-022-03515-2.
“Effects of curcumin supplementation on vitamin D levels in women with premenstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhea: a randomized controlled study”
Authors: Leyla Arabnezhad, et al.