In today's fast-paced world, maintaining optimal health and wellness is more important than ever, especially for women who often juggle multiple roles and responsibilities. While a balanced diet and regular exercise form the foundation of good health, supplements play an essential role in enhancing overall well-being. By addressing specific nutritional needs, these must-have supplements can support women's health in unique ways, empowering them to thrive at every stage of life.
Women's bodies have distinct nutritional requirements and unique nutritional needs that differ from those of men due to factors such as hormonal fluctuations, menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause. These physiological differences mean that women may need higher or different quantities of certain nutrients at various stages of life to maintain their health.
Supplements serve as valuable allies in filling dietary gaps that might arise from busy lifestyles or specific dietary choices like vegetarianism or veganism. They support various aspects of women's health by promoting hormonal balance, maintaining bone strength, supporting energy levels, focus, and mood. Whether looking to enhance fertility, manage menopausal symptoms, or simply ensure you're getting all the necessary nutrients, supplements can provide targeted support where it's needed most.
It is essential to begin with a prenatal or daily multi. A high-quality multi-vitamin-mineral helps ensure that one is getting the RDA of important vitamins and minerals. The multi should have B vitamins and folic acid which assist with stress, energy, the nervous system, and fetal health. It should also contain calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D3 which are necessary for bone, heart, breast, and immune health, and fetal bone development. It would be beneficial if the multi also provided some EPA and DHA, as omega-3s are necessary every step of the way!
Several vitamins and minerals are beneficial particularly for women's health such as vitamin D3.
Vitamin D3 is incredibly important as it promotes healthy growth and development, supports teeth, bone, and muscle health, assists with a healthy immune and cardiovascular system, and aids with healthier moods. A study back in 2005 looked at dose-response gradient risk of breast health concerns according to serum vitamin D concentration. It showed that the closer their vitamin D levels were to 70ng/ml, the risk was incredibly low. This is significant for the health of women of all ages. As vitamin D3 is important for calcium transport and absorption, vitamin K2 as MK-7 is also critical for the formation of a strong bone matrix and cardiovascular health. Most adult Multi-Vitamin/Mineral formulas have some vitamin D3, however, you don’t see any or much vitamin K in multi’s for various reasons. They are now putting D3 and K2 (as MK-4 and MK-7) in bone building formulas and in some cardiovascular formulas. Most adult recommendations for MK-7 are around 45-180 mcg/d. Vitamin E is key for heart health and adding it in during perimenopausal times is particularly important if there is a history of heart disease in the family. Also, Key-E Suppositories are soothing, moisturizing inserts to use for vaginal health and dryness.
With all the stress that life brings to us from college, career challenges, and/or raising children, an added Active B-complex with vitamin C would be highly beneficial to add into one’s regime to promote healthy energy production, immune function, and stress management. Providing the active form of the most important B vitamins allows for greater bioavailability. Two specific B-vitamins are crucial during pregnancy, B12 and folate. Vitamin B12 is essential for energy production, cognitive health, and crucial for nerve function and red blood cell formation. It's especially important for vegetarians and vegans who might not get enough B12 from plant-based foods. Folate is known for its role in preventing birth defects during pregnancy, and folate is also important for DNA synthesis and repair and it's a key player in supporting heart health and energy.
Minerals are equally important in supporting women's bodily functions. Calcium is vital for maintaining strong bones and teeth, and calcium's importance increases with age as women become more susceptible to osteoporosis. Magnesium plays a role in over 300 enzyme reactions in the body. It supports muscle function, maintains blood pressure within normal range, promotes better sleep quality, and supports PMS symptoms. Calcium and magnesium work closely together to support healthy bones for mom and baby, aid with stress and sleep, and promote natural energy production. To be most effective, these two minerals are provided in the preferred 2:1 ratio, and the chelated forms promote maximum absorption. Iron is essential for producing hemoglobin, and it supports oxygen transport throughout the body. Women need adequate iron levels to promote energy levels, and iron needs increase during menstruation due to blood loss.
An additional omega-3 supplement is also necessary for a variety of reasons. Omega-3s, specifically EPA and DHA, have an immense amount of research backing how they support mood, memory, fetal eye and brain development, nerve, vision, joint, cardiovascular health, and so much more. Higher amounts of omega-3s, especially DHA are now recommended during pregnancy and lactation. New research points to 700mg-1,000mg/d of omega-3s which should mainly be comprised of DHA for fetal brain and eye development.
Herbal supplements offer natural solutions for managing specific female health concerns. Evening primrose oil is rich in GLA, an important omega-6 fatty acid that promotes skin health and supports mild discomfort associated with PMS as well as hormonal balancing. During perimenopause (between 45-55 generally), hormones are really fluctuating and omega-6 fatty acids such as EPO assist in nourishing dry skin, hair, and mucous membranes, as well as supporting hormone balancing. There are also many wonderful formulas available like Women’s Omega Balance (EPA, DHA, GLA, vitamin D3 and vitamin E) that contain several supportive nutrients all-in-one.
If stress is really getting you down, focus more on the adrenals with extra support beyond the B vitamins. Supplements like pharma GABA, 5-HTP, l-theanine or a combination of these can be layered in. If one has stress-related sleeplessness, magnesium is a helpful mineral to take before bed. Magnesium relaxes smooth muscles and assists in making melatonin. Melatonin, a hormone produced by the pineal gland in the brain, helps regulate the body's circadian rhythm, the internal clock that controls when we fall asleep and wake up. This can be layered in addition to magnesium to promote a restful night of sleep.
Incorporating these must-have supplements into your daily routine can significantly contribute to your overall well-being. However, it's crucial to make informed choices by consulting healthcare professionals before starting any new supplement regimen. By understanding your unique nutritional needs and choosing high-quality products, you empower yourself on your journey toward optimal health—a journey where you truly nourish and flourish at every stage of life.
