American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 43, 37-41, Copyright © 1986 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc

ORIGINAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS

Gonadotrophin release and meat consumption in vegetarian women

PB Hill, L Garbaczewski, G Daynes and KS Gaire

Many factors including diet modify the hypothalamic-pituitary axis and menstrual periodicity. We have determined the effect of a daily meat or a soybean supplement in rural vegetarian Black women on the length of the menstrual cycle and the episodic and luteinizing releasing hormone stimulated release of luteinizing hormone. The daily meat but not soybean supplement increased the length of the menstrual cycle (p less than or equal to 0.01), increased the release of LH (p less than or equal to 0.01), and decreased the stimulated release of LH in the luteal phase (p less than or equal to 0.01). These changes are opposite to those reported previously in the Caucasian women fed a meatless diet. Thus addition of meat in the diet modifies the episodic release of gonadotrophins and follicular maturation. The importance of a carbohydrate diet preferentially maintaining CNS-rhythmicity is suggested.

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				S. I Barr Vegetarianism and menstrual cycle disturbances: is there an association? Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, September 1, 1999; 70(3): 549S - 554. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]