Jubilance for PMS on the Leading Scientific Theory on The Cause of PMS Mood Swings

What is PMS?

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) consists of the common, mild, emotional and physical symptoms that occur one to two weeks before your period, and then disappear at or just after your period. They tend to happen each month, with some months varying in intensity more than other months. A more formal definition of PMS might be the recurrent mild psychological and physical symptoms that occur during the luteal phase of menses and resolve with menstruation. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists suggest assessment via a prospective symptom diary (1).

The physical symptoms can include:

Abdominal Bloating

• Body Aches

• Cramps

• Fatigue

• Headaches

• Nausea

• Weight Gain

Over-the-counter medications can treat many of these physical symptoms. However, the psychological and behavioral symptoms of PMS are more perplexing. These include:

• Feelings of Being Mad or Quick to Anger

• Anxiety

• Mildly Depressed Mood

• Stress

• Mood Changes

How common is PMS?

You are not alone. It has been reported as high as 80 percent of women have one or more physical, psychological, or behavioral symptoms during the luteal phase of their menstrual cycle without substantial disturbances to their daily activities. PMS, in which mild symptoms affect some facet of a woman’s life, occurs in 20 to 32 percent of premenopausal women. (1) Millions of women face slight mood issues each month.

Why do I have mild PMS Mood Changes?

Modern science does not have a group consensus answer as to why some women have terrible mood issues, and some do not. Our research suggests the following.

Have you ever experienced sugar cravings during PMS? Especially if the sugar is combined with a bit of fat, such as in chocolate bars?

Many women do. (2) Your body is incredibly smart, and it craves what it needs at this time — and the need is for sugar, specifically in a part of the brain tied to irritability, gloominess and mild mood changes. Scientific studies that track sugar (glucose) levels in the brain have shown that women with extreme PMS mood swings experience a much larger consumption of sugar, specifically in a part of the brain that deals with “primitive” emotions, the cerebellum. (3) The cerebellum is in the lower part of the brain. It plays a critical role in motor control, attention, and regulating fear and pleasure responses. (4) Persons with bipolar depression have been shown to have an increased demand for sugar in the cerebellum, just like patients with severe PMS. (5–8) So during the time that you have even mild PMS mood changes, your cerebellum may be burning through the available supplies of sugar.

What happens if your cerebellum does not get enough sugar during this PMS time?

You have already experienced the answer — sugar cravings, and mild swings in emotion that include irritability, gloomy mood, anxiety and stress. You may have experienced a similar feeling if you are hungry. Most of us have seen a link between emotional response and hunger. We feel this is the reason you are experiencing PMS (although you should know that some doctors think there are other reasons why, including fluctuations in hormone levels and brain neurotransmitters).

So is the answer to mild PMS mood changes eating more chocolate and feasting on fatty treats high in sugar?

While this binge eating of sugar and fats in an attempt to fuel your cerebellum brings relief to some women, (9, 10) this sugar binge brings on many more problems, including increasing the risk of depressed mood. In a study of about 70,000 women, scientists at Columbia University

investigated the link between sugary foods and depression. The work, recently published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found a statistically significant increase in depression in women who consumed foods with added sugars. In contrast, women who consumed fruits and vegetables had a significantly lower incidence of depression. (11) So by feeding your PMS craving with chocolate bars, you may be increasing your risk of depressed mood. Additionally, consumption of sugary fatty treats may not be the ideal diet for weight maintenance. A typical 2.6-ounce chocolate bar contains 406 calories — about a quarter of your total calorie needs (based on a 2,000 calorie/day consumption). It’s almost the equivalent of a full meal!

How does Jubilance for PMS(Oxaloacetate) work to reduce mild PMS mood issues?

PMS is still not completely understood, despite women having suffered from this since the dawn of humanity. Thus our understanding of how JubilanceTM nutritional supplement works cannot be complete. Here are some things we do know:

● Promising evaluations of JubilanceTM (oxaloacetate) suggest notable improvements in the mild mood changes, anxiety, stress and irritability associated with PMS.

● Oxaloacetate appears to help regulate glucose (sugar) in the human body. Supplementing with oxaloacetate helps drive glucose into cells. (12)

● Cell studies indicate that oxaloacetate is an essential metabolite in the liver for allowing the conversion of triglycerides to glucose through a process called gluconeogenesis. (13) When your body needs glucose, oxaloacetate is one of the key energy molecules that allows the conversion of triglycerides into glucose in your liver to feed your brain and your heart. We suspect that PMS mood symptoms are due to a lack of glucose supply to the brain, particularly in the cerebellum, (3) which oxaloacetate may help alleviate.

● Animal studies show that oxaloacetate supplementation reduces excess glutamate in the brain, a neuro-excitatory compound. (14, 15) Excess glutamate may affect mild PMS mood symptoms. Although animal studies are only suggestive of comparable results in humans, we suspect that oxaloacetate may have some ability to reduce excess extracellular glutamate in the brain which could help shed light on why it may help decrease mild PMS mood symptoms.

What is oxaloacetate?

Oxaloacetate is a crucial energy metabolite in the human body, most notably in gluconeogenesis (making glucose from triglycerides), and in the Krebs cycle in the mitochondria, used in making more than 90% of the energy that a healthy cell uses.

How safe is Jubilance for PMS(Oxaloacetate) supplementation?

As a dietary supplement, there have been over 13,000 patient year’s exposure at 100 mg daily with few adverse events reported to the manufacturer (two headaches, one minor

rash, and one slight acid reflux as of July 2017).

● JubilanceTM is manufactured at the same strength as the previous dose of 100 mg oxaloacetate daily.

● More than 500 physicians, NDs and NPs have

● purchased oxaloacetate for their patients

● Since 2007, approximately 5000 people have taken supplemental oxaloacetate

● More than 4.5 million 100 mg doses of oxaloacetate have been sold

● In animal studies, pre-clinical tests showed a “No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) of 500 mg oxaloacetate/ kg body weight. In a 70 kg human, accounting for the difference in metabolism between laboratory rats and humans, this would equate to a dose of over 4,000 mg per day, or a 400X safety margin.

Health Canada has issued for oxaloacetate/Vitamin C supplements a Natural Product Number (NPN) 80039432, for “Contains antioxidants for the maintenance of good health.”

As with any dietary supplement, you should discuss your condition with your doctor before starting the supplement.

What Glutamate-Heavy Foods Can Cause PMS-Related Mood Swings?

Some foods may exacerbate PMS-related mood swings. There are some anecdotal reports that a high-salt diet, excess alcohol, excess caffeine, and foods that have a high amount of the amino acid “glutamate” can increase some PMS symptoms. You may want to consider reducing the intake of these foods.

While checking the salt content, alcohol content, and caffeine content of foods can be done by checking the label, figuring out which foods are high in glutamate is not as straight-forward, and there are many natural sources.

Glutamate has a unique taste, a savory flavor called “umami”. Here are some foods that are very high in “free” glutamate levels, which may have more of an effect on PMS than foods that have “bound” glutamate:

● Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

● Bone Broth

● Peas

● Corn

● Soy Sauce

● Mushrooms

● Ripe Tomatoes

● Walnuts

● Cured meats, such as bacon

● Aged cheeses, such as Parmesan (one of the highest sources of free glutamate) (16)

Now, I am not suggesting that you avoid all these foods every day — but perhaps steer away from these high-glutamate foods when you typically experience emotional PMS.

Mild to moderate exercise may provide additional relief from the symptoms of PMS. (17)

In talking with your health practitioner, you may want to inquire about options, which include cognitive behavioral therapy, antidepressants, ovulation suppression and diuretics, for moderate to severe PMS symptoms. (18)