Women's Health
WHAT VITAMINS AND SUPPLEMENTS SHOULD WOMEN TAKE EVERY DAY?
Women have specific nutrient needs that change throughout their life span. For example, teens have different nutrient needs than postmenopausal women, and pregnant and breastfeeding women need greater amounts of specific nutrients than nonpregnant women. What’s more, your nutrient needs may differ depending on your overall health and lifestyle. Although nutrient supplementation isn’t necessary for all women, some may need to take supplements to reach their recommended intake levels.
Antioxidants Found in our Multivitamin
This group includes vitamin A -- retinol, beta carotene, and carotenoids --, vitamin C, and vitamin E. They appear to play a role in protecting you from tiny particles your body makes, called free radicals, that can tear cells apart. Antioxidants may lower the risk of some health problems and slow aging. Some researchers also think they help boost the immune system, your body's defense against germs.
- Beta-carotene. Your body changes it to vitamin A, a nutrient that helps eyesight, soft tissue, and skin. You'll find it in apricots, cantaloupe, carrots, guava, kale, papaya, peaches, pumpkins, red peppers, spinach, and tomatoes.
- Vitamin C. You may also hear it called ascorbic acid. It aids in healing wounds and helps your body make red blood cells. It also boosts levels of the brain chemical called norepinephrine, which makes you feel more alert and amps up your concentration. Studies show that when you're under a lot of stress, or as you get older, your levels of ascorbic acid go down. You can get vitamin C from broccoli, grapefruit, kiwi, oranges, peppers, potatoes, strawberries, and tomatoes.
- Vitamin E. It's also known as tocopherol and includes related compounds called tocotrienols. Your body needs it to keep cells healthy. It may slow signs of aging, too. But you raise your risk of bleeding if you take too much of it every day. You can get this nutrient in foods like corn oil, cod-liver oil, hazelnuts, peanut butter, safflower oil, sunflower seeds, and wheat germ.
- Vitamin D. It may be called a vitamin, but it actually works as a hormone. It helps to move calcium and phosphorus (important minerals for keeping bones strong) into your bloodstream. When your body doesn't have enough vitamin D, it will take calcium and phosphorus from your bones. Over time, this makes them thin and leads to conditions like osteoporosis, which puts you at risk for fractures.
- Folate (folic acid). It helps build a healthy brain and spinal cord. It also makes DNA and RNA, the building blocks of cells, and prevents the changes in DNA that can lead to cancer. Adults and children need it to build normal red blood cells and prevent anemia. But it's especially important for pregnant women because it helps prevent birth defects like spina bifida.
B Vitamins Found in our B-12 Pow
- Vitamin B6 is also known as pyridoxine. You need it to keep your brain working well and to help your body change food into energy, which is called metabolism. It can be toxic if you get too much of it at once, so your best bet is to eat foods that have this nutrient in it. Try fish, potatoes, chickpeas, avocadoes, bananas, beans, cereal, meats, oatmeal, and poultry.
- Vitamin B12 is also important for metabolism, and it helps your body make red blood cells. You can get it from cheese, eggs, fish, meat, milk, and yogurt. Older adults, people with anemia, vegans, and vegetarians should work with a doctor to make sure they get enough of it.
Calcium: Helps with muscle function and bone health. Women start losing bone density in their 20s, so it's important to consume enough calcium to prevent osteoporosis. Helps protect and build strong bones and reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Your body stores calcium in your bones, so if you don’t get enough calcium from food, your body will take calcium from your bones, making them weak and easily broken. Helps messages go between your brain and muscles.
Who may need it
- Girls ages 9 to 18 need 1,300 milligrams (mg) of calcium each day. During this time, bones absorb calcium and build strong bones for adulthood and older age.
- Adult women need 1,000 mg of calcium each day.
- After menopause, you need 1,200 mg of calcium each day to help slow the bone loss that comes with aging.
Who may need it
- All women who have menstrual periods. Iron is lost during monthly periods.
- Pregnant women. Women need more iron during pregnancy to supply enough blood for their growing babies.
Many women, especially pregnant women, do not get enough iron from food alone. This can put you at risk for iron-deficiency anemia. This condition causes your heart to work harder to pump blood so that more oxygen can reach all of your body. Anemia can make you feel tired, weak, and dizzy.
The amount of iron you need each day throughout your life is listed below:
- Ages 19 to 50: 18 mg
- During pregnancy: 27 mg
- Ages 51 and older: 8 mg
- Bone health: Magnesium helps keep bones strong and prevents osteoporosis.
- Menstrual cycle: Magnesium levels vary throughout the menstrual cycle and are closely related to calcium levels.
- Menopause: Magnesium can help with hot flashes, difficulty sleeping, and depression.
- Stress: Magnesium may help reduce stress by playing a role in the production of serotonin, GABA, dopamine, and norepinephrine.
- Other conditions: Magnesium supplements may help with premenstrual syndrome (PMS), pelvic pain, headaches, migraines, anxiety, and sleep problems.
- Adult and teenage females: 135–210 mg
- Pregnant females: 195–245 mg
- Breast-feeding females: 245–265 mg
- Immune system: Zinc helps develop and function immune cells, and supports the body's defense against pathogens.
- Bone strength: Zinc is an essential mineral for building and maintaining strong bones.
- Reproductive health: Zinc is important for hormonal balance and function, which can impact the reproductive system.
- Wound healing: Zinc helps with wound healing.
- Brain health: Zinc is good for the brain and can help with brain activity and memory.
- Sense of taste and smell: Zinc is fundamental to your sense of taste and smell.
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): Zinc supplementation can improve insulin resistance and lipid balance in women with PCOS.
- Dysmenorrhea: Zinc supplementation before and during each menstrual cycle can reduce the intensity of menstrual pain.
- Endometriosis: Zinc may play a positive role in managing endometriosis.
- Reproductive health Iodine is needed for ovulation, progesterone production, and estrogen metabolism. It may also help with pre-menstrual breast tenderness, low progesterone, and PMS.
- Thyroid hormone production Iodine is a vital component of thyroid hormones, which regulate growth, development, and metabolism.
- Fetal and infant development Iodine is essential for the proper growth and development of fetuses and infants.
- Breastfeeding Breastfed babies get iodine from breast milk, so breastfeeding mothers need to get enough iodine.
- Immune response Iodine may play a role in immune response.
- Breast health Iodine may have a beneficial effect on mammary dysplasia and fibrocystic breast disease.
Iodine deficiency is more common in women than in men, and is more common in pregnant women and older children. Symptoms of iodine deficiency include: sluggishness or fatigue, weight gain, dry skin, and sensitivity to temperature changes. The American Thyroid Association recommends that pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding women take a daily supplement containing 150 mcg iodine as potassium iodide.
Boron: is a trace element that has been consumed for menstrual cramps and boric acid has been used vaginally for yeast infections, but evidence on that is limited. Boron seems to affect the way the body is able to handle other minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. It also seems to increase estrogen levels post-menopause. Boron may have health benefits for women that include:
- Hormone balance Boron may help balance reproductive hormones, including estrogen, progesterone, and thyroid hormone. It may also increase estrogen levels after menopause.
- Bone health Boron may help slow bone density loss during menopause. It's also essential for bone growth and maintenance.
- Menstrual cramps Boron may reduce the severity and duration of menstrual cramps.
- Cervical cancer Boron may help inhibit the life cycle of HPV, which is the main cause of cervical cancer.
The best way to get these vitamins and other nutrients is by eating a healthy, balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, lean meats, healthy fats, and low-fat dairy. But if you’re not, you may not be getting adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals to keep you feeling your best. A dietary supplementation or multivitamin regimen may be necessary for your age and gender and may provide nutritional support to fill in nutrient gaps missing from your diet.
