Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
There are countless brands of women’s multivitamins and supplements on the market. Women are bombarded with information about what they should be taking to stay young, healthy, flexible, beautiful, and beyond. But what are the nutritionists actually saying about what women’s bodies need as we age? In an ideal world, our diet consists of healthy, nutrient-rich foods that require no supplementation. According to Harvard Health, there are a variety of foods that can help your body get both the vitamins and minerals it needs. "The best approach to ensure you get a variety of vitamins and minerals, and in the proper amounts, is to adopt a broad healthy diet. This involves an emphasis on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans and legumes, low-fat protein, and dairy products.”
In today’s climate, it is rare that all people have the time or resources to adopt a “broad healthy diet.” Certain hurdles such as limited access to healthy and affordable foods can create barriers for people trying to consume the needed vitamins and minerals to stay healthy and stave off disease.
Like men, women need specific vitamins and minerals to function fully and target key areas of their health including their bones, immune system, eyes, and heart. Here are some of the most essential nutrients for women according to nutritionists.
Calcium and Bone Health
According to the National Institutes of Health, “Calcium makes up much of the structure of bones and teeth and allows normal bodily movement by keeping tissue rigid, strong, and flexible. The small, ionized pool of calcium in the circulatory system, extracellular fluid, and various tissues mediates blood vessel contraction and dilation, muscle function, blood clotting, nerve transmission, and hormonal secretion.” Put plainly, calcium helps our bodies to function in a slew of critical ways. Calcium is also most linked to bone health which tends to impact women much sooner than men. According to this study, females have lower bone density than males, regardless of nutrition. Older women are also at higher risk for developing osteoporosis than men because of hormonal shifts during menopause that directly impact bone density. In fact, “women are 4 times more susceptible to osteoporosis than men,” cites Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Calcium can be found in a variety of foods, especially in dairy products, edamame, and salmon. But if your diet is lacking in the calcium department, it is critical to take a supplement to help your body to function at its best.
Vitamin D and Your Immune System
According to Harvard Health, “Vitamin D's best-known role is to keep bones healthy by increasing the intestinal absorption of calcium. Without enough vitamin D, the body can only absorb 10% to 15% of dietary calcium, but 30% to 40% absorption is the rule when vitamin reserves are normal.” There are a variety of diseases that we are prone to without enough vitamin D in our bodies including rickets as children or osteoporosis as adults.
You may need a vitamin D supplement if you:
- Don’t regularly drink milk or eat dairy foods fortified with vitamin D
- Don’t get enough direct exposure to sunlight
- Are over 50 years old since the body struggles to process vitamin D as we age
- Have Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis that limits vitamin D absorption
- Are pregnant and/or breastfeeding
Fish Oil and Heart Health
Did you know that according to Women’s Health Magazine, “taking fish oil, alone or with vitamin B12 or vitamin E, can improve painful periods and reduce the need for pain medications for menstrual cramps.” In addition to making menstruation less painful, there are many benefits to consuming fish oil.
Omega-3 fatty acids are a crucial part of our physical health, but our bodies do not naturally produce this. These fatty acids have been found to:
- Improve heart health
- Reduce your risk for autoimmune diseases
- Aid in fetal development
- Assist with fertility
If you do not currently consume a fatty fish at least twice a week, it is time to look into some fish oil supplements for your diet.
Iron and Blood Health
The National Library of Medicine reports, “globally, one in three non-pregnant women, corresponding to almost 500 million women, were anemic in 2011. Iron deficiency is thought to contribute to at least half of the global burden of anemia." Our blood needs iron to carry oxygen throughout our bodies. This critical nutrient is used for making red blood cells, muscle tissue, hair, many enzymes, and other molecules. Yet, countless women are functioning with severe iron deficiencies.
Because women lose blood during menstruation, it is more difficult for us to keep our iron at healthy levels. Foods that contain iron include tofu, nuts and seeds, dried fruits, legumes, and dark leafy green vegetables. Without this critical nutrient, our bodies are at risk of feeling tired and weak. You may also experience severe dizziness and lightheadedness. The good news is anemia is easily combatted by iron supplements if your diet isn’t doing the trick.
Some other critical supplements for women include lutein for eye health and magnesium for total body regulation. The list truly goes on and on. If you want to learn more about critical supplements, what they do and how they benefit our bodies, check out this resource on PatientsLikeMe and join us in conversation in the Women’s Health and Pregnancy Forum.
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