AMHERST, Mass., Nov. 28 (UPI) — Researchers have discovered a link between symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and high blood pressure among women.
According to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology this week, women with PMS symptoms may develop hypertension later in life.
While following roughly 3,500 women over the course of two decades, researchers associated with the University of Massachusetts found those who experienced PMS were 40 percent more likely to develop hypertension later in life.
Symptoms of PMS include, but are not limited to mood swings, abdominal pain, breast tenderness, headaches and bloating. Previously known risk factors for hypertension include high body mass index, smoking, drinking and age.
“To my knowledge, this is the first large, long-term study to suggest that PMS may be related to risk of chronic health conditions in later life,” lead author Elizatbeth Bertone-Johnson said in a press release
Females younger than 40 who experienced PMS were found to be more closely linked to eventual high blood pressure, the report said. However, women who consumed high amounts of thiamine and riboflavin — B vitamins — were less likely to receive hypertension diagnoses.
