Menstrual cycle and voluntary food intake.

The relationship of food intake and the human menstrual cycle has not been well quantified. In this study, voluntary energy and sucrose intake of seven women, aged 24-43 y, were evaluated by the weighed-intake method over one entire menstrual cycle. Portable tape recorders facilitated the recording of food intake. Although daily fluctuations of energy intake were large, analysis of variance showed intake during the luteal phase to be significantly greater than during the periovulatory and follicular phases (p less than 0.05). From 95% simultaneous (Bonferoni) confidence intervals, the estimate of difference was 283 kcal greater during the luteal phase than the periovulatory phase; the estimate of difference was 214 kcal greater during the luteal phase than during the follicular phase. No significant differences in energy intake were found among the menstrual, follicular, and periovulatory phases. No significant relationship was found between sucrose intake and the menstrual cycle.