Diet and folliculardevelopment12

In Caucasian women, the length ofthe menstrual cycle is 28 days with a SD of 3.9 days. Many factors including diet modify menstrual periodicity. We have determined the effect of a meatless vegetarian diet in Caucasian women on the length of the menstrual cycle and the episodic and luteinizing releasing hormone-stimulated release of luteinizing hormone. The effect of a Western diet on the menstrual cycle in urban Black South African women was also studied. In Caucasian women, the vegetarian diet decreased (p � 0.01) the pituitary response to luteinizing releasing hormone and decreased (p � 0.05) the episodic release of luteinizing hormone. A Western diet increased (p � 0.Ol)the duration of the follicular phase in Black South African women. Thus diet is a factor modifying the episodic release of gonadotrophins and follicular maturation. Am J C/in Nuir 1984;39:771-777.