Importance of a Quality Women’s Supplement

Despite doing the best that we can all do to eat healthy diets with plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables, high-quality fat, whole grains, nuts, and other nutrient-rich foods, it can often be challenging for women to meet their nutritional needs through diet alone. In light of this widespread problem, here are six of what’s thought to be the most important minerals and vitamins for women, who may be deficient in these nutrients:

Vegetarians and vegans in particular may be more vulnerable to deficiencies of vitamin B12 (an estimated 80 to 90 percent of vegan/vegetarian women may be B12 deficient¹ ). However, even women who eat animal products may be prone to B12 deficiencies, especially older women - over 20 percent of older adults are estimated to suffer from deficiency of this nutrient.²  

B12 deficiency may have serious health consequences: megaloblastic anemia (which may cause the enlargement of red blood cells), elevated homocysteine (which may increase the risk of stroke and heart disease), and cognitive and neurological issues.³  That’s why it may be one of the most important women’s vitamins.

Particularly for older women, one of the most crucial daily vitamins for women may be calcium, which can be essential for bone health and density. A lack of calcium may lead to osteoporosis, which is known as a lack of bone density - as we get older, which can then result in painful and sometimes disabling broken bones.⁴  Women aged 50 and below are considered to need at least 1,000 mg of calcium each day, while women above age 50 may need a minimum of 1,200 mg of daily calcium.⁵

Vitamin D is considered to be another one of the best vitamins for women since it’s known as especially important for mental and physical health and can often be easy to miss out on, especially during the winter. This is due to the fact that our bodies may generate their own vitamin D from the sun’s rays, but especially when it’s cold outside, many people don’t get enough sun exposure to do so effectively. Lack of vitamin D can frequently be implicated in not only bone density issues (since it’s thought to be needed for proper calcium absorption), but also in depression, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, among other serious health consequences.⁶

Vitamin B9 is regularly another top choice among the best vitamin supplements for women since it is considered to be so important for essential bodily processes. These processes may include the production of new red blood cells (which carry oxygen throughout the body), as well as the production of DNA, most likely. In pregnant women, B9 deficiency may lead to serious birth defects such as spina bifida.⁷  Similar to iron deficiency, folate deficiency may cause anemia, with unpleasant symptoms such as fatigue, irritability, and shortness of breath.⁸

Iron is often considered as one of the best supplements for women since iron deficiency may be one of the most common mineral deficiencies among women. This is due to the fact that the majority of pre-menopausal women menstruate each month, which can cause blood loss that may deplete iron stores. Similar to folate deficiency, iron deficiency may result in anemia (lack of red blood cells), with symptoms commonly including fatigue, breathlessness, dizziness, and tongue swelling/soreness.⁹

Between age 19 and 50, non-pregnant women generally need approximately 18 mg of iron each day. Pregnant women may prefer to aim for 27 mg of iron. Finally, women who are above age 50 may be able to eat a bit less iron, aiming to consume at least 8 mg of the mineral each day.¹⁰

It’s possible that magnesium plays an important part in over 300 different enzymatic reactions within our bodies, which can make it especially important for daily health and function.¹¹  This is why it’s thought of as very alarming that magnesium deficiency is extremely common across the overall population of both men and women. Nearly three-quarters of those under age 70 and four-fifths of those over age 70 are estimated to be magnesium deficient.¹²  Magnesium deficiency may contribute to a wide range of chronic illnesses, including: obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, and high blood pressure.¹³  

Although women may typically aim to eat a varied diet that’s rich in a wide range of nutrients, there may still be nutritional gaps that can be particularly challenging to fill, especially of the vitamins and minerals that are listed above. In these cases, taking supplements may help to fill in the gaps, ensuring that women’s bodies have all the building blocks that they most likely need in order to perform essential functions at all stages of life. This kind of supplementation may improve immunity, bone health, mental wellness, and overall vitality, among other health and quality of life concerns.

Those who are looking for the best women’s vitamins should look for supplements that include ingredients that may meet their health needs (such as deficiencies that have been confirmed by blood tests), fill in specific dietary gaps, and are in line with their particular stage of life (considering factors such as one’s age group, pregnancy, menopause, etc.).

When searching for the best supplement for your needs, consider doing research into other women’s ratings of specific products. The top-rated women’s vitamins may be the best choice for your needs. In addition, since supplements are not subject to regulation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, consider making sure to consume only the highest-quality ingredients by choosing products that have been third-party tested by trustworthy groups like the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) or the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF). The best vitamins and supplements will commonly share that they have been third-party tested and specify the organization that is responsible for the verification.

How to best add supplements into your daily routine? Here’s some helpful advice on this front:

It’s usually fairly easy to meet common nutritional needs like those listed above, by taking a daily women’s multivitamin that specifically contains nutrients that you are certain that you are deficient in. Body Kitchen Women’s Multi has possibly been formulated to meet women’s unique nutritional needs and may provide key vitamins and minerals in their highest-quality and most bioavailable forms.

Although a supplement such as a women’s multivitamin can be a convenient and effective way to meet common nutritional gaps that many women face, it’s essential to speak to a qualified medical professional who is familiar with your medical situation and background before adding a supplement like this one to your daily routine.

Even multivitamins that contain what’s thought to be safe, well-studied ingredients have the potential to cause side effects and/or interact with prescription drugs. In addition, supplementing with too much of a vitamin or mineral that you are not deficient in may lead to an overdose of that vitamin, especially in the case of fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin D (as these are not simply urinated out like water soluble vitamins, such as vitamin C). Just as nutrient deficiencies may be harmful, nutrient overdoses may also have negative health effects.

Thus, you should make sure to speak with a doctor before beginning to take a multivitamin, as they can, for example, provide the proper blood tests to confirm the presence of a deficiency (if needed). A medical professional can also advise on the proper daily dosage and intake of particular nutrients, since these needs can vary significantly depending on individual health circumstances (such as pregnancy, breastfeeding, or menopause).