Essential vitamins for women at every age

8/7/2019 Essential vitamins for women at every age

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Essential vitamins for women at every age

If youre a health-conscious woman, you probably know your nutritional needschange with each stage of life. If youre of childbearing age, you need an adequateintake of folic acid to prevent birth defects. If youve experienced the menopause,you may need to increase your intake of calcium and vitamin D to keep your bonesstrong. A deficiency of either vitamin when your body needs it can lead to serious

health problems.

What are vitamins anyway?

Vitamins are essential chemicals that take part in all your bodys processes. They dothat by participating in reactions inside cells. Each vitamin performs a specificfunction in the body, and no single food contains all the vitamins you need. Exceptfor vitamin D, the human body cannot make vitamins. So you need to get vitaminsfrom the foods you eat or from vitamin supplements.

At different stages of your life, your bodys need for specific vitamins varies. Whenyou dont get enough of a particular vitamin you need, yo u run the risk of serioushealth problems.

Many women know that eating five servings of fruit and vegetables each day is agood way to get their essential vitamins. Most women, though, dont eat the quantityof fruits and vegetables that are recommended. As a result, many women in everyage group are at risk of vitamin deficiencies.

Lets look at some essential vitamins for women. Lets explore what each vitamindoes to boost your health and which whole foods are good sources of this vitamin.Lets also examine how much you need to prevent disease, as well as whichvitamins are more important depending on your specific stage of life.

How do antioxidant vitamins boost health?

Many foods have antioxidant properties. However, there are specific vitamins that

are known as antioxidant vitamins. They include vitamin A -- retinol and thecarotenoids -- vitamin C, and vitamin E. These antioxidant vitamins appear to play arole in the body's cell-protection system. They do this by neutralising highly reactiveand unstable molecules, called free radicals, that your body produces.

Free radicals have been shown to disrupt and tear apart vital cell structures like cellmembranes. Antioxidants tie up these free radicals and take away their destructivepower. That may reduce the risk of chronic illness and slow down the ageingprocess. Some researchers also believe that antioxidants might help boost immunefunction when a system is under stress. Antioxidants include:

Beta-carotene, found in apricots, carrots, cantaloupe, and pumpkin, isconverted to vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A aids in the building and strengthening

of bones, soft tissue, skin, and mucous membranes. Other carotenoid compoundsalso have antioxidant properties including alpha -carotene (found in carrots,cantaloupe, and pumpkin), gamma-carotene (found in apricots and tomatoes) andlycopene (found in tomatoes, watermelon, and guava).

How do antioxidant vitamins boost health? continued...

Food sources of beta-carotene include apricots, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, kale,papaya, peach, pumpkin, red peppers, and spinach.


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Vitamin C, ascorbic acid, aids in wound healing and plays a role in theformation of red blood cells. Vitamin C also boosts levels of the brain chemicalnoradrenaline. Noradrenaline is a neurotransmitter. It boosts alertness and increasesconcentration. Studies show that when the body is under great stress, or during theageing process, levels of ascorbic acid decline.

Food sources of vitamin C include broccoli, grapefruit and grapefruit juice, kiwi,

oranges, pepper, potato, strawberries, and tomato.

Vitamin E is also known as tocopherol. It plays a key role in the formation ofred blood cells and in the maintenance of cell membranes. Vitamin E may slow age -related changes in the body. Adults with intestinal disorders of malabsorption may bedeficient in vitamin E. But taking too much vitamin E daily increases the risk ofbleeding.

Food sources of vitamin E include margarine, corn oil, cod-liver oil, hazelnuts,peanut butter, safflower oil, sunflower seeds, and wheat germ.

What are the recommendations for antioxidants?

Many adults have trouble getting enough antioxidants in their daily diet. You can

make sure you get enough antioxidants for optimal health by eating at l east fiveservings of fresh fruits and vegetables each day as recommended in thegovernments 5 a day campaign. If your diet is low in fruit and vegetables, talk toyour doctor about vitamin supplements.

Are the B vitamins important for womens health?

All B vitamins are important to a womans health. However, three vitamins inparticular -- vitamins B6 and B12 and folic acid -- are especially important. These Bvitamins are essential to brain function, red blood cell formation, and building DNA.

In addition, if youre pregnant, taking the B vitamin folic acid can significantly lowerthe risk of neural tube defects such as spina bifida. Poor eating habits, alcohol

abuse, cigarette smoking, and oral contraceptives have all been linked to low bloodlevels of folic acid.

Except among alcoholics or other severely malnourished people, deficiency of Bvitamins is rare. When it does occur, B vitamin deficiency can cause irritability,depression, confusion. It can also cause inflammation of the tongue and m outh.Heres information about these important B vitamins:

Vitamin B6 is also known as pyridoxine. Its important for metabolism and alsofor brain function. Vitamin B6 deficiency can result in a form of anaemia. Althoughsome older adults have low levels of vitamin B6, true deficiency is rarely seen in theUK. Vitamin B6 is one of the few water -soluble vitamins that can be toxic if taken inlarge doses. So eating healthy foods with vitamin B6 is usually the best way to get it.

Are the B vitamins important for womens health? continued...

Food sources of vitamin B6 include avocado, banana, beans, cereal, meats,oatmeal, poultry, seeds.

Vitamin B12, like the other B vitamins, is important for metabolism, normal celldivision, and protein synthesis. Anaemia is one of the most common consequencesof vitamin B12 deficiency. Vegetarians of all ages are at risk of deficiency and maybenefit from a daily vitamin B12 supplement. Vitamin B12 levels can be measured bya blood test. Your doctor can advise you if a blood test or supplement is needed.


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If youre over age 50, you may have difficulty absorbing vitamin B12 in its naturalform because of changes in the stomach. You may need three-monthly injections ofvitamin B12.

Food sources of vitamin B12 include cheese, eggs, fish, meat, milk, and yogurt.

Folate, or folic acid, is essential in the development of the central nervous

system. This key nutrient also helps to make DNA and RNA, the building blocks ofcells. It also prevents alterations to DNA that can lead to cancer. Adults and childrenrequire folate to build normal red blood cells and prevent anaemia.

Deficiencies of folate in women who are pregnant are linked to neural tube defectssuch as spina bifida. Spina bifida is an incomplete closure of the spine. Because ofthis risk of birth defects, many foods, such as breads and breakfast cereals, are nowfortified with folic acid.

Food sources of folate include vegetables such as spinach and greens, asparagus,citrus fruits, melons, strawberries, fortified grains, legumes, beans -- especiallychickpeas, black beans, and kidney beans -- nutritional yeast, eggs, and organmeats such as liver.

What are the recommendations for B vitamins?

Youll get all the vitamin B6 you nee d by eating a healthy diet rich in fruits andvegetables. Vegetarians and vegans should make concerted efforts to ensure theirvitamin B12 intake, while older people may want to check with their doctor abouttheir risk of vitamin B12 deficiency and whether they may need vitamin B12injections. In many women of childbearing age, folate intake through foods is notadequate to prevent birth defects. If youre considering becoming pregnant, talk toyour doctor about your need for folic acid supplementation.

Is vitamin D important for women?

Vitamin D is usually categorized as a fat-soluble vitamin. However, it actually

functions as a hormone in the body. Vitamin D helps to activate calcium andphosphorus -- important minerals for keeping bones strong -- into the bloodstream.When the body is depleted of vitamin D or has an insufficient supply, your body turnsto the bones for replenishing calcium and phosphorus. This can thin your bones andcontribute to osteoporosis.

Food sources of vitamin D include fish. And of course, sunshine is an excellentsource as well.

What are the recommendations for vitamin D?

Younger adults may get plenty of sunlight throughout the day to keep this vitamin atthe proper level. Many middle aged and older adults, on the other hand, may have aproblem. The Food Standards Agency recommends that older adults, people ofAsian origin, and people who do not get adequate sunlight each day take extravitamin D from vitamin D-fortified foods and/or supplements. Because calcium andvitamin D are closely linked, many doctors recommend that older people, especiallypost-menopausal women, take a combined calcium and vitamin D supplement.

What foods contain vitamin K?

Vitamin K is not considered an essential vitamin. It does, though, play a key role i npromoting strong bones and maintaining normal blood clotting in older people. The


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best food sources of vitamin K include green leafy vegetables, soybean oil, broccoli,alfalfa, cooked spinach, and fish oil.

Do I have to eat whole foods to get these essen tial vitamins or could I usesupplements?

Most dieticians recommend getting essential vitamins through whole foods without

relying on supplements. But talk to your doctor to make sure.

With whole fruits you get specific vitamins as well as all the essentia l nutrientsnecessary for immune function and energy.

The likelihood of ingesting too much of any vitamin from whole foods is remote.However, overdosing from mega-vitamin supplementation does occur. In largedoses, some vitamins have documented side-effects that tend to be more severe.For these reasons, you should never take mega-doses of any vitamin withoutspeaking to your doctor first.

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Essential vitamins for women at every age