Iran: Fortifying dairy products with vitamin D3 can boost serum vitamin D levels and alleviate the severity of restless legs syndrome (RLS) in women with severe premenstrual syndrome (PMS), but does not have the same effect in other populations, a recent pilot study has stated. The findings were published online in BMC Women's Health on July 30, 2024.
Restless legs syndrome is characterized by an uncontrollable urge to move the legs, often accompanied by uncomfortable sensations. It is commonly observed in individuals with PMS, especially those who also suffer from vitamin D deficiency and abdominal obesity. Given the growing concern over the role of vitamin D in various health conditions, the researchers focused on whether fortifying dairy products with vitamin D3 could offer a beneficial intervention.

Vitamin D plays an important role in female reproduction through its impact on calcium homeostasis and neurotransmitters. Considering this, Majid Ghayour-Mobarhan, Department of Nutrition, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran, and colleagues aimed to evaluate the effect of dairy products fortified with Vitamin D3 on RLS in women with PMS.
For this purpose, the research team conducted a 2.5-month, randomized, total-blinded clinical trial to assess the effectiveness of low-fat milk and yogurt fortified with vitamin D on RLS in women with PMS.
Among 141 middle-aged women with abdominal obesity, 71 were assigned to receive fortified low-fat dairy products, while 70 received non-fortified low-fat dairy products. All participants completed both the Symptoms Screening Tool (PSST) and questionnaires assessing RLS.
The study led to the following findings:
In women with severe PMS (PSST > 28), serum levels of vitamin D increased significantly following vitamin D fortification.
The mean restless legs score in the severe PMS subgroup (PSST > 28) was significantly lower after the intervention.
Serum Vitamin D levels significantly differed between intervention and control groups in all individuals (PSST < 19, PSST 19–28, and PSST > 28), but there were no significant differences between the RLS scores of the intervention and control groups in the three PMS subgroups.

"We found that consuming low-fat dairy products fortified with 1500 IU of nano-encapsulated vitamin D3 can alleviate restless legs syndrome (RLS) in women with severe symptoms who have low vitamin D levels," the researchers wrote.
"These results suggest a promising avenue for future research and the potential development of effective treatments for individuals with similar conditions. However, additional studies are required to validate these findings," they concluded.
Reference:
Sharifan, P., Sahranavard, T., Rashidmayvan, M. et al. Effect of dairy products fortified with vitamin d3 on restless legs syndrome in women with premenstrual syndrome, abdominal obesity and vitamin d deficiency: a pilot study. BMC Women's Health 24, 434 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-024-03159-z