Abstract
Primary dysmenorrhea is a prevalent health issue that has a negative impact on women's well-being. This study sought to explore the potential connection between dietary indices including dietary acid load (DAL), empirical dietary inflammatory index (eDII), and Literature-Based Adherence to Mediterranean diet Score (MEDI-LITE) with primary dysmenorrhea. A total of 105 university students including 57 with and 48 without primary dysmenorrhea participated in this cross-sectional study. Dietary data were collected using a 117-time Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), and the dietary indices were calculated using developed formulas. Using pre-designed questionnaires, the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and the Verbal Multidimensional Scoring System (VMS) were computed and used to determine the severity of dysmenorrhea pain and side effects. Dietary indices and primary dysmenorrhea relationship assessed by regression analysis adjusted for potential confounders. In the adjusted linear regression models, none of the dietary indices, including eDII, MEDI-LITE, and DAL, showed a statistically significant association with VAS scores. Similarly, the odds of primary dysmenorrhea across tertiles of these dietary indices did not differ significantly. No significant associations were observed between any of the dietary indices and the severity or complications of dysmenorrhea. The result of ROC analysis showed that the mentioned dietary indices were not significant predictors of dysmenorrhea status. The findings of our study showed no significant association between DAL, eDII, and MEDI-LITE and primary dysmenorrhea. Further, well-designed prospective studies are required to confirm these findings, with particular attention to the timing and pattern of dysmenorrhea symptoms.