Whereas a healthy, balanced, and varied diet is the advised method of meeting your nutritional needs, these may not always be enough. Due to their advanced or complex needs, multivitamins (MVM) and dietary supplements are often used by many women to fill nutritional gaps in their diets.
How Are MVMs and Supplements Useful to Women?
Women who consume a balanced and healthy diet may not normally need nutritional supplements. There are however some groups with nutritional requirements that call for the use of MVMs and supplements. These include:
- Postmenopausal women. After menopause, women’s bone density degrades faster than men’s due to hormonal changes. Because many women have a deficiency of vitamin D and calcium in their diets, they may need supplements with vitamin B-12 to help prevent osteoporosis (a condition in which bones become brittle and weak).
- Vegans may not get vitamins B-12, B-2 and D from their diet alone. We get some vitamins from animal sources more easily than from plant products, like vitamin B-12, which is absent in plants. Therefore, supplements are useful to vegans and other groups with low animal protein intake.
- Pregnant women or those preparing for pregnancy also benefit from supplements of folic acid to help prevent some birth defects.
What Are the Multivitamins Needed as Per Age-groups?
According to Mayo Clinic, nutritional needs differ as we transit through different phases of life, requiring different supplements. The major phases include:
Young adult females from the age group of 19-30 years
For this group, the main supplements required are:
Calcium
In her 20s, a woman needs 1,000 milligrams daily intake of calcium. This helps build stronger bones and is responsible for a healthy heart, nerves, and muscles.
Sources include beans, almonds, cereals salmon, and leafy greens.
Vitamin D
It is important for healthy bones and reduces the risk of heart disease and some cancers. It also complements calcium absorption in the intestines and stomach.
Some dietary reservoirs for Vitamin D include tuna, juices, salmon, cereals and fortified milk.
Iron
Those of us who are pregnant or have heavy menstrual flows need iron in order to replace the loss of red blood cells in the body and keep healthy blood.
Sources include fish, meat, eggs, nuts, and spinach.
Women aged 31-50 years
This group needs;
Folate
It is a B vitamin that aids in baby development and reduces the risk of having your new-born with spinal cord issues.
Sources include broccoli, spinach, potatoes, green beans, and brown rice.
Magnesium
It is important in bone formation, growth, cognitive and physical development and promoting a healthy pregnancy.
Magnesium also normalises blood sugar levels, blood pressure and alleviating the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Sources include nuts, legumes, whole grains, leafy green vegetables, and fortified cereals.
51 Years and Older
For this group, the main needs are:
Fish Oil
Studies show that omega-3 reduces the risk of stroke, heart attack, rheumatoid arthritis and some cancers. Mackerel, salmon, and sardines are good sources
Calcium and Vitamin D
At this age group, your body has low estrogenic levels, predisposing you to osteoporosis and heart disease. Calcium and Vitamin D are needed in ample amounts to avoid such risks.
For optimal sources of multivitamins, Inessa offers various supplements including vitamin D, folate, vitamin D, B-2, B-12 and calcium among many other benefits.
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