The first ever clinical trial of Oxaloacetate concluded that daily doses of Oxaloacetate helps reduce the emotional symptoms associated with PMS.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, women all around the world found that their PMS-mood swings became significantly worse during extended lockdowns or long periods stuck in quarantine. This is especially true if we consider how PMS-related anxiety, stress and depression is further exacerbated by isolation and the stress associated with working from home.
Current over-the-counter medications and products also only help to reduce the physical symptoms of PMS, while the emotional symptoms of PMS remain widely unsupported. This new clinical trial is rectifying this by investigating the emotional symptoms associated with PMS.
The sole objective of this clinical trial was to measure the effect of a lesser-known nutritional compound called Oxaloacetate on the major emotional symptoms of PMS. Within the first month, results of the clinical trial showed that a daily in-take of Oxaloacetate significantly alleviated the emotional symptoms of PMS including anxiety, irritability, stress and depression. Oxaloacetate is available in a variety of different over-the-counter brands like Jubilance and benaGene.
How does Oxaloacetate affect PMS-related mood swings?
The clinical trial used four different surveys, the Beck’s Depression Inventory, the Cohen Perceived Stress Scale, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Test and the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire to measure the effect of Oxaloacetate on the emotionally stability of 48 women experiencing PMS. Participants were asked to complete the surveys at the start of the clinical trial as well as during their subsequent menstruation cycles.
The survey results showed a mean improvement in depression by 54%, in perceived stress by 35%, in general anxiety by 51% and in aggression by 18% among women who received daily doses of Oxaloacetate for the duration of the clinical trial.
The clinical trial shows that Oxaloacetate effectively alleviates PMS-related mood swings by up to 50% within the first month of use. The results are also significant in relation to the fact that most clinical trials of prescription medications prescribed for PMS, like hormonal birth control pills and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), do not take place or produce significant results in such short periods of time.
The science behind Oxaloacetate
Oxaloacetate works by increasing glucose levels in the body. Oxaloacetate is an energy metabolite found in every cell in the human body. It is critical to human metabolism, proper cell functioning and the production of energy in the body. Yet it also has an effect on mental and emotional stability through other mechanisms.
During PMS, there is a significant increase in glucose utilization in the cerebellum of women who experience PMS-related mood swings. The cerebellum plays a crucial role in motor control, attention, and regulating fear and pleasure responses. Shortages in glucose levels in the cerebellum during PMS can therefore be considered a causal factor of PMS-induced mood swings. A storage of glucose levels during PMS can also account for the sugar cravings most women experience during menstruation.
Oxaloacetate thus works to support adequate glucose levels in the cerebellum and proper glucose functioning in the body. Because Oxaloacetate is a crucial metabolite in gluconeogenesis, the process of glucose production when required by the body, an excess of Oxaloacetate enables gluconeogenesis to occur on demand and maintains optimal glucose levels in the cerebellum before, during and after PMS.
Unlike eating sugar and fatty foods that bring about a temporary relief of emotional symptoms of PMS, Oxaloacetate maintains adequate glucose levels in the body and supports glucose production and functioning over a longer period of time, which in turn alleviates PMS-related mood swings in the long-term.
The perfect over-the-counter solution for emotional symptoms of PMS
This clinical trial is the first of its kind to investigate and describe the use of Oxaloacetate and its potential to significantly reduce depression, anxiety, perceived stress and aggression by 50% in women experiencing PMS.
In a time when most OB/GYN doctors are not open for consultation, over-the-counter nutritional supplements that contain Oxaloacetate, like Jubilance and benaGena, may be the perfect option for women who want to avoid the hormonal birth control or SSRI route.
