Ohara Kumiko, Okita Yoshimitsu, Kouda Katsuyasu, Mase Tomoki, Miyawaki Chiemi, Nakamura Harunobu
Graduate School of Human Development and Environment, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan.
Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan.
BMC Womens Health. 2015 Aug 28;15:67. doi: 10.1186/s12905-015-0224-z.
Menstrual cycle-related symptoms are an important health issue for many women, and some may affect cardiac autonomic regulation. In the present study, we evaluated the cardiovascular and physiological stress response to 12-h short-term fasting in the menstrual phases of healthy young women.
We performed a randomized crossover study. Subjects were seven female university students (age: 22.3 ± 1.0 years). The experiments comprised four sessions: meal intake in the follicular phase, meal intake in the luteal phase, fasting in the follicular phase, and fasting in the luteal phase. All subjects participated in a total of four experimental sessions during two successive phases (follicular and luteal phase in the same menstrual cycle, or luteal phase and follicular phase in the next menstrual cycle) according to a randomized crossover design. R-R intervals were continuously recorded before and after meals, and power spectral analysis of heart rate variability was performed. Other physiological data were obtained before and 20, 40, 60, and 80 min after meal intake or after the corresponding time point of meal intake (fasting in the follicular or luteal phase).
Heart rate decreased during fasting in the follicular and luteal phases. High frequency power increased during fasting in the follicular and luteal phases. In addition, salivary cortisol concentrations decreased during fasting in the luteal phase.
In the present study, short-term fasting resulted in higher parasympathetic activity and lower cortisol levels in the luteal phase in these young women. These results indicate a possibility to produce an anti-stress effect in the luteal phase, which may reduce menstrual symptoms.
月经周期相关症状是许多女性重要的健康问题，有些症状可能会影响心脏自主调节。在本研究中，我们评估了健康年轻女性在月经周期各阶段对12小时短期禁食的心血管和生理应激反应。
我们进行了一项随机交叉研究。受试者为7名女大学生（年龄：22.3±1.0岁）。实验包括四个阶段：卵泡期进餐、黄体期进餐、卵泡期禁食和黄体期禁食。所有受试者根据随机交叉设计在两个连续阶段（同一月经周期的卵泡期和黄体期，或下一个月经周期的黄体期和卵泡期）共参加四个实验阶段。进餐前后连续记录R-R间期，并进行心率变异性的功率谱分析。在进餐或相应进餐时间点（卵泡期或黄体期禁食）后20、40、60和80分钟获取其他生理数据。
在卵泡期和黄体期禁食期间心率下降。在卵泡期和黄体期禁食期间高频功率增加。此外，黄体期禁食期间唾液皮质醇浓度降低。
在本研究中，短期禁食导致这些年轻女性黄体期副交感神经活动增强，皮质醇水平降低。这些结果表明在黄体期可能产生抗应激作用，这可能减轻月经症状。
