title: A Comparative Analysis of Dietary Habits on Sensory Motor Association and Heart Rate Variability during Menstrual Cycle.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dietary habits can make a big difference on both physical and mental aspects of the body. Menstrual disorder frequently affects the quality of life of adolescent and young adult women. Menstrual cycle irregularities may be associated with psychological stress, and endocrine disturbances. Monitoring of sensory-motor association and cardiovascular activity across the menstrual cycle has not been evaluated with dietary habits.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present study was carried out to bridge the relationship between dietary habits and endogenous sex hormone mediated sensory motor association and heart rate variability (HRV) among young females during different phases of menstrual cycle.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present study was carried out on healthy volunteered 100 female medical students in the age group of 19-25 years with regular menstrual cycle. Group I (n=45) vegetarians, Group II (n=25) eggetarians and Group III (n= 30) non-vegetarians, where n denotes the number of individuals in each group. Sensory-motor association (reaction time) and cardiovascular activity (HRV) was evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We observed among all the dietary habits (vegetarians, eggetarians and non-vegetarians) the reaction time and HRV was comparable in follicular and menstrual phase, however it was significantly altered in luteal phase when compared to follicular and menstrual phase. Moreover, among all the dietary habits, non-vegetarians showed more significant alteration of reaction time and HRV in luteal phase when compared to vegetarians and eggetarians, as well as there was positive correlation between visual and auditory reaction time and negative correlation between LF and HF in luteal phase, among all the dietary habits.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We concluded sensorimotor association and regulation of autonomic tone is modified in luteal phase comparable to follicular phase and menstrual phase; however non-vegetarian had showed more significant alterations as compared to eggetarians and vegetarians. These suggest that sympathetic nervous activities are predominant in the luteal phase as compared to follicular phase, and this sympathetic dominance is more among non-vegetarians, which may be due to their higher BMI. The alterations in the balance of ovarian hormones might be responsible for these changes. Long-term intake of vegetarian diets may facilitate vagal regulation of the heart without increasing the sympathetic modulations of the cardiovascular system.
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology, People's College of Medical Science and Research Centre , Bhopal, India .
authors.forename: Arbind Kumar
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Choudhary
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology, People's College of Medical Science and Research Centre , Bhopal, India .
authors.forename: Tanwir
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Alam
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor, Department of Physiology, People's College of Medical Science and Research Centre , Bhopal, India .
authors.forename: Rekha
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jiwane
authors.affiliation: Professor and HOD, Department of Physiology, People's College of Medical Science and Research Centre , Bhopal, India .
authors.forename: Sadawarte Sahebrao
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Kishanrao
keywords: Non-vegetarian; Reaction time; Vegetarians