Dietary Habits Affecting Reproductive Functions in Young Women

Dietary habits in young women determine their individual quality of life (QOL) in not only the present life style but also subsequent middle or old age and should be evaluated from the perspective of total benefit throughout the entire life [1,2]. One of the most common nutritional issues among young women is poor energy intake and/or inappropriate food selection due to dietary limitations for cosmetic purposes. In addition, it was also demonstrated that young females consuming fast and processed foods have a high incidence of dysmenorrhea along with poor general health [3,4]. Accordingly, it is important to evaluate the present situation of eating habits in young women and estimate their influence on menstrual disorders. Irregular menstruation, dysmenorrheal and premenstrual syndrome are representative menstrual disorders [5]. Although irregular menstruation is well known to be induced by inadequate food intake such as diet [6], the precise relationship between dietary habits and other menstrual disorders remain unclear. In adolescence, dysmenorrhea is frequently associated with immaturity of reproductive function [5], suggesting that dysmenorrhea is one of the symptoms for functional disorders. However, dysmenorrhea is also an important clinical sign suggesting organic reproductive diseases such as endometriosis and uterine myoma [7], which significantly influence QOL during the subsequent reproductive age. Consequently, information whether or not college students in the post-adolescent stage still have dysmenorrhea is very important.