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Do We Actually Need To Eat More Calories When Menstruating?
A thread
(also an article for @SkeptInquirer that you can read here: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/do-we-actually-need-to-eat-more-calories-when-menstruating/)
A thread
(also an article for @SkeptInquirer that you can read here: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/do-we-actually-need-to-eat-more-calories-when-menstruating/)
Shark week, moon time, the crimson tide, a visit from Auntie Flo: whatever you call it menstruation is the roughly monthly interval during which the uterus sheds its lining.
During this time increases in appetite are commonly reported, but why?
During this time increases in appetite are commonly reported, but why?
Is it akin to how we feel thirsty when our bodies have a physiologic need for more water?
In other words, do we feel hungry during our periods because we actually need to consume more calories?
In other words, do we feel hungry during our periods because we actually need to consume more calories?
Luckily, science has a way to test that! Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the amount of energy our bodies use when we are at rest, usually measured in kilocalories per day.
If menstruation causes increased energy demands, that should be reflected in the BMRs of menstruating people.
If menstruation causes increased energy demands, that should be reflected in the BMRs of menstruating people.
BUT it turns out that BMR in menstruating individuals actually starts decreasing during the bleeding portion of the cycle. It hits its lowest point ~1 week after menstruation begins and then steadily rises again until the start of the next period.
The trend in BMR actually mimics this infographic of the endometrial lining very well
While menstruating is, from the person bleedingâs point of view, the most taxing part of the menstrual cycle, to our bodies itâs the easiest, aka the least energy-intensive part.
Think of it from a uterusâs perspective: It spends three weeks building up a uterine lining roughly 11 mm thick full of blood vessel and gland rich tissue, which is no small task. The week it spends expelling this lining is, by comparison, almost a vacation.
As far as our bodies are concerned, the energy-intensive portion of the menstrual cycle is days 8 to 28, when it is building literal flesh, not days 1 to 7 when that endometrial tissue is broken down and expelled.
The question remains then, if not due to a raised BMR, why do we experience increases in appetite just before, or during, our periods?
It's not as simple as hormones, nor as simple as being a totally psychological effect.
To find out the various factors that contribute to period hunger though, you'll have to read the rest of the article (it's not paywalled!) https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/do-we-actually-need-to-eat-more-calories-when-menstruating/
To find out the various factors that contribute to period hunger though, you'll have to read the rest of the article (it's not paywalled!) https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/do-we-actually-need-to-eat-more-calories-when-menstruating/
If you're interested in sources for any of the facts I state here, just ask! Or click on the article and follow the hyperlinks.
