An antioxidant that is abundant in some mushrooms has shown promise for easing period pain. A daily dose of a supplement containing L-ergothioneine, which is also in fermented foods, seems to limit the extent of this pain by targeting cells within the uterus, rather than just blocking discomfort that has already taken hold.

“Instead of treating the symptom acutely when the pain is already severe, EGT [L-ergothioneine] acts as a nutritional foundational support, potentially reducing the reliance on strong medications and giving women a safer way to reclaim their well-being,” says Guohua Xiao at Gene III Biotechnology Co. in Nanjing, China.

Period pain, or dysmenorrhea, is considered one of the most common gynaecological-related issues, but , from 16 per cent to 91 per cent. It is thought to be caused by the uterus producing higher levels of inflammatory chemicals called prostaglandins, which result in it contracting strongly to shed its lining. This can make the uterus press against nearby blood vessels, briefly cutting off the oxygen supply to muscle tissue, which causes pain.

Dysmenorrhea . This occurs when there is an imbalance between molecules called free radicals and antioxidants in the body, which causes cell damage.

Current advice recommends using painkillers such as ibuprofen, which reduces inflammation and blocks the production of prostaglandins. Xiao and his team wondered if L-ergothioneine could have a protective effect in the uterus.

To put it to the test, Xiao and his colleagues recruited 40 women, aged between 18 and 30, who had been diagnosed with primary dysmenorrhea – period pain that isn’t caused by a particular condition, such as endometriosis. None of them had attempted to treat their dysmenorrhea, such as through painkillers or traditional Chinese medicine, within the past month.

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Half of the women were given 120 milligrams of L-ergothioneine to take every day across three menstrual cycles, while the others were given a placebo.

Those taking the supplement reported experiencing a pain score of 4.8 out of 10, on average, at the start of the study, which decreased to 4.1, 3.6 and 2.3 during their subsequent three menstrual cycles. L-ergothioneine may become more effective over time because it accumulates in cells, says Xiao. There was no significant reduction in pain in the placebo group.

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The researchers also found no difference in inflammation levels between the groups, which supports the idea that L-ergothioneine works through a more novel pathway than many existing painkillers, says Xiao. “During menstruation, discomfort is heavily driven by localised oxidative stress in the uterine tissue. Since we saw no systemic anti-inflammatory signal, the evidence points toward a localised antioxidant effect. EGT likely neutralises free radicals directly at the source of the cellular stress before the systemic inflammatory cascade is even triggered.”

at the University of Melbourne in Australia says this is biologically plausible, but needs to be confirmed in a larger study. “That is worth pursuing,” she says. Xiao says his team is planning a larger trial at multiple centres.

That will also give us a better idea of L-ergothioneine’s safety, although the researchers reported no side effects in either group. Long-term use of painkillers like ibuprofen has been , . The way that L-ergothioneine is transported into cells means it is excreted by the kidneys once levels have reached a saturation point, says Xiao.

Working four days a week without a reduction in salary seems to boost employees’ health and job satisfaction – and may even help them perform better at work.

The covid-19 pandemic . Alongside a for some occupations, certain companies have gone down to a four-day working week without cutting pay.

To better understand the effects of this, at Boston College, Massachusetts, and her colleagues analysed data from 141 companies in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Ireland that participated in a pilot programme led by the non-profit firm .

Before the trial, the companies spent two months working with outside advisors to reorganise their workflow and cut inefficiencies, like unnecessary meetings.

After the programme, which lasted six months, Fan and the team compared self-reported measures of productivity, health and job satisfaction from nearly 3000 employees at these companies against workers at 12 firms that considered participating in the pilot but then decided against it.

Those who worked at businesses that shifted to a four-day week reported lower rates of burnout and greater job satisfaction, along with better overall mental and physical health. These improvements were attributed to the employees sleeping better, being less fatigued and feeling like their ability to work had improved.

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“A lot of people are worried about a process called job intensification, where, if you need to complete all of your job within four days instead of five, this might actually increase your stress level,” says Fan. “What we found is the opposite: once workers are able to [reduce hours], they feel better about themselves and this helps their well-being.”

The findings applied regardless of the employees’ age, gender or whether they predominantly worked remotely or in an office. But a person’s position in a company may have an effect: the team found that supervisors reported greater improvements to their overall well-being compared with non-supervisors.

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The researchers didn’t ask the participants what exactly it was about the trial that they felt brought these benefits, so it could just have been changes like cutting unnecessary meetings, rather than the pivot to a four-day work week itself, says at Pennsylvania State University in Abington.

“If people are saying their well-being is higher, how much of that stems from the fact that their company is treating them better? That they’re trusting them, that they’re relieving them of this one day commute per week or allowing them to string together several days for leisure,” says Golden. “Or how much of it comes from just being more productive per hour and having fewer distractions and interruptions?”

Nevertheless, more than 90 per cent of the companies that opted for a four-day work week kept it after the programme ended, says Fan.