Science Says PMS Solved With Steak

Earlier this week, a study published by The American Journal of Epidemiology revealed that women with higher levels of iron were less likely to suffer from premenstrual symptoms – a shocking and new revelation for women everywhere.

Or is it?

The study, which was conducted by the University of Massachusetts, is telling us that a woman full of iron is less likely to avoid the bloating, cramps, and, well, let's just say crankiness that they may experience during menstrual cycles. Reports of the study are even going as far as to say that women should "break out the red meat," because higher iron intake means no PMS. Yet some remain unmoved.

"[Telling women to eat red meat] is too much of a general recommendation," says Mayling Kajiya, founder of Girl UnInterrupted, an amino acid supplement specifically designed to treat women's woes. According to Kajiya, the study is not mistaken, but it's telling us things we've already known for ages. Women have been recommended to take a lot of iron because of their susceptibility to anemia, and in general, iron will help your body process anything better, so yeah, of course it's great for menstruation.

Conversely, the study also found that women with higher levels of potassium were more likely to suffer from PMS – another fact that was none too surprising for Kajiya.

"Potassium is high in salt and so it gets in the way of other minerals making their way into your body," she says, noting that it promotes bloating and swelling that many women suffer from.

For all of you meat-lovers out there who were excited to start chowing down in the name of health, don't be discouraged.

"The most important thing to remember is having a healthy and balanced diet," says Kajiya, "and if you're going to eat a lot of red meat for your iron intake, go organic and make sure it's grass fed."

Oh and, don't forget the chocolate.

Anne Dolce is the Cook Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @anniecdolce