Vitamins are vital for overall woman’s health. It is possible for a woman to get essential vitamins when she makes smart food choices. Still, some women experience nutrients deficiency and may require supplements.
On the face of it, Daily Recommended Intake (DRI) of vitamins is useful for both men and women. Unlike men, women have diverse vitamin requirements.
What it all boils down to are 13 vitamins all women must take which are among the best vitamins for women. Notably, they include Vitamin A, Vitamin B12 (thiamine), Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, and Vitamin K. In addition to that they need significant trace minerals and fatty acids.
Essentially, vitamins and minerals help build bones, heal wounds, and build powerful immune system. Beyond that vitamins help convert food into energy, repair damaged cells apart from renewing worn out cells. Women require vitamins at all stages of their lives starting right from puberty to the point of menopause when a woman’s body experiences phenomenal changes.
Best Vitamin Supplements for Women over 30
A woman in their 30s focuses on preventing premature aging, remaining healthy throughout pregnancy and to keep her energy levels great. There are specific vitamins supplements that can aid in achieving these goals.
If you are planning to get pregnant, it’s particularly imperative to take the best multivitamin mix for women to maintain a healthy pregnancy.
Multivitamin Antioxidants
Most women in their 30s are concerned of aging. These can be reversed by antioxidants which fight free radicals that can lead to aging and disease. Women in their 30s need to get 75mg of Vitamin E which reduces cellular damage, boosts immunity and reduce heart disease.
Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid) Tablets
Women in their 30s are in the bracket of child-bearing, they need to take more folic acid to aid in reducing childbirth defect such as Spina Bifida in fetuses, as well as reduce low birth weight in babies. Recommended as a pregnant women vitamin is daily intake of 600 mg of Vitamin B9.
Vitamin D3 and Calcium Supplements
Single vitamin supplements suit a specific nutrient vitamin deficiency or in support of preventing a certain disease – for instance Vitamins D & calcium helps a post-menopausal woman or those at risk of Osteoporosis and are known as vitamins for menopause.
Iron Supplements
In their 30s women may have heavy menses and for this reason, they need iron which is a component of red blood cells. Thus women need twice the daily dose of iron to avoid anemia.
Best Vitamins for Women over 40 years
At 40-plus women should pay attention to what they eat. They need a good mix of vitamins and minerals for women.
Calcium Tablets
Women in their 40s start experiencing 1% bone loss, thus Calcium is most important to their diet. As it improves bone health.
Best Vitamins for Women over 50 years
This is a turning point in Woman’s health, it marks the onset of Menopause, that period when a woman stops her Menses and produces less Estrogen which is vital for building and maintaining bones.
To make matters worse, they experience natural changes in their digestive track that make it hard for them to absorb sufficient nutrients.
Besides Vitamin B12, pay close attention to calcium. Why? Estrogen levels drop during this period so, up your game increase calcium intake from 1000 mg to 1200 mg.
Folic Acid Benefits
It’s important in reducing the levels of homocysteine a harmful heart disease causing factor; folate increases the levels of red blood cells.
Vitamin B12 for Women
Older women are at higher risk of suffering from Vitamin B12 deficiency. So they must rely on vitamin supplements for women. This vitamin is essential for, proper functioning of the cardiovascular system, skin, hair, digestion, memory, red blood cell formation, and normal nerve function.
Role of Vitamin Supplements for Women
- Offer good health benefits for women, when used properly under the instruction of a doctor. Vitamins offer protection from diseases.
- When used together with mainstream drugs offer exceptional healing of various diseases and medical conditions.
- Some have been used to enhance physical endurance, performance and increase muscular strength mostly active women involved in sports.
- Prenatal multivitamins for women reduces birth defects, boost fertility or reduces nausea
- Teen girls need vitamin supplements to support their physical and emotional growth besides, healthy skin, bone, and immunity.
Best Supplement for Women Checklist
1. Select standardized supplements
When choosing a multivitamin supplement, you can go with any brand, as long as it has the United States Pharmacopeia (U.S.P) seal of approval. This seal indicates the products have passed tests and are verified, as well as the ingredients listed on the product labels are not harmful.
2. Be sure of supplement interactions
Check with your doctor the safety of drug and multivitamin interaction before use.
3. Supplement Side Effects
Stay well informed of the ingredients written on the vitamin supplements labels, some contain harmful preservatives such as Sodium Benzoate, which may cause cancerous growths.
Final Thoughts on Vitamin Supplements for Women
There has been marketing hype about multivitamins, lately online as well as on internet, print and mass media overemphasizing the good side of multivitamins.
The downside is that some multivitamin brands have not met set standards and are of low quality and may pose health risks.
Consult a doctor to avoid over consuming multivitamin for women, more especially Vitamins A or Vitamins E which may cause toxicity.