Vitamins for Women's Health

Your nutritional needs are constantly changing as you pass through life's phases – PMS, pregnancy, menopause, mid-life, the senior years. Sorting through the information can be confusing and finding the right products and practices for your phase of life can feel overwhelming. That's why we created LearnSomethingAbout^™ women's health. Learning how to feel vibrant and stay healthy throughout your life is only a few clicks away.

Are you looking for a way to end the mood swings of PMS? Do you want to smooth out the roller coaster ride of your pregnancy? Looking to cool the hot flashes of menopause or prevent heart disease as you age? Is your hair and skin losing its sheen and suppleness? Do you want guidance in how to maintain your bone strength and avoid the debilitating effects of osteoporosis? Once you've identified your area of interest, we'll do the rest – providing basic, and some not-so-basic, information, and suggesting specific supplements and lifestyle changes to help you feel good and perform your best, every day. But supplements should be seen as a complement to your healthy diet and lifestyle, not as a substitute.

Healthy living begins with a well-balanced diet. Most of us could use more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in our daily diet, and a shift to low-fat dairy and lean protein. Taking in less alcohol, total fat – especially saturated fats and high-cholesterol foods – salt, and sugar can reduce or even eliminate many bothersome symptoms that accompany the different life phases we pass through. Diet is a matter of choosing the right foods when we eat, but making the effort to exercise takes a different kind of commitment. Thirty minutes a day is ideal, but even small efforts help. Take advantage of the small opportunities during your day – take the stairs, not the elevator; park a little further away from entrances and walk briskly. See yourself as an active person and you're more likely to look that way, too!

There are a few important things to remember when using vitamins, minerals, or other supplements.

• Tell your doctor or other healthcare provider before you begin taking a dietary supplement – especially if you're being treated for any disease or medical condition, if you're taking other medications, if you're pregnant or nursing, or if you're planning to have an operation.
• You shouldn't take more than one supplement containing the same active ingredient because the right dosage may help, but too much may do more harm than good.
• Although herbal supplements come from plants, and may seem to be completely safe, they can affect your body just like pharmaceutical drugs and must be used as directed to avoid potentially harmful side effects. If you do experience an unexpected reaction to a dietary supplement, inform your doctor or other healthcare provider.
• While dietary supplements are regulated by the U-S Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, these regulations aren't the same as those covering prescription and over-the-counter medicines. It's the dietary supplement manufacturer, and NOT the FDA, that's responsible for ensuring a product is safe before it's marketed.

Pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS)

Pre-menstrual syndrome is full of mysteries. Researchers continue to debate whether PMS is caused solely by fluctuating hormones. Some think the chemical changes in the brain are at fault, such as a reduction in serotonin, which is thought to play a key role in our mood states. Many researchers have found a link to vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and at least one recognized researcher contends that the major cause of PMS is stress. Whatever the cause, PMS can disrupt your life, affecting your body and psychological state, and most researchers agree that caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, and lack of sleep can intensify – or even trigger – PMS symptoms. Living a healthy lifestyle that includes a well-rounded diet and specific nutritional supplements can lessen or alleviate symptoms and take the dread out of PMS.

What steps can you take to lessen or even end the cycle of discomfort from PMS? Nearly all researchers agree that anyone suffering from PMS can reduce PMS discomfort by eating a well-balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein. And getting moderate exercise – about thirty minutes a day is recommended – can significantly calm symptoms and contribute to long-term health.

Supplement a healthy lifestyle with ... supplements. Vitamin B-6, available in foods and supplement form, can be effective in evening out mood swings. Another remedy for regulating moods is black cohosh, which also may lessen the severity of cramps and muscle pains. Muscle cramps and pains may also be relieved by the anti-inflammatory agents in fish oil, which include omega-3. Since omega-3 is heart friendly, and heart disease is the number one killer of women, fish oil and omega-3 fatty acids are recommended as part of a healthy diet for every woman. Fish oil may also help with breast tenderness caused by inflammation. Some women also rely on evening primrose oil, available in capsules and liquigels, to alleviate breast tenderness – though clinical trials have shown mixed results. And don't forget about calcium. Recent studies have shown that PMS symptoms have been reduced or even eliminated by taking calcium and Vitamin D.

Lessening the intensity of or even eliminating the symptoms of PMS is a matter of trial and error. But you may be able to skip much of the error by choosing your supplement solutions according to general consensus and scientific findings.

Pregnancy

Moms-to-be are eating for two – yourself and your fetus. You need to take in nutrients that protect the fetus, provide energy for its growth, and support healthy development. You must have additional iron for the extra blood you are pumping to the fetus, and extra calcium to support the developing skeletal system. You'll need additional folic acid, which has been shown to prevent birth defects of both the brain and spinal cord.

A good place to start enhancing nutrition is by beginning daily supplements. A prenatal multivitamin with iron contains many of the nutrients recommended for pregnant women. Check the label to be sure. Prenatal multis provide moms-to-be the extra iron they need for the additional blood they're pumping to their fetus. Prenatal multis also deliver nutrients the fetus needs to grow healthy bones. Additional support for the skeleton of the fetus is provided by taking calcium supplements, either in the form of calcium citrate or calcium carbonate. Calcium citrate is easier to absorb, gentle on the stomach, and can be taken at any time. Calcium carbonate requires fewer doses, is less expensive, but should be taken only with meals. All forms of calcium need Vitamin D for absorption, and most calcium supplements contain Vitamin D – but check the supplement facts on the label. Developing a healthy spine and other parts of the central nervous system depends on adequate intake of folic acid. Although most prenatal multis contain the minimum value determined for pregnant women, your healthcare professional may recommend a higher dose.

Even the healthiest pregnancies can include undesirable side-effects, such as nausea, lethargy, and constipation, especially during the first trimester, though each woman's experiences can vary widely. Fortunately, good diet choices, moderate exercise, and nutritional supplements can really decrease these side-effects of one body supporting two lives.

Menopause

As menstruation slows, and menopause begins, the body shifts its focus. It ends the monthly preparation to conceive and then support a fetus, and begins a new phase focused solely on the individual. During the several years it takes to complete menopause, you may experience symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats, headaches, and mood swings. The hormonal changes that occur as part of menopause – and an increase in age – leave women more likely to experience certain diseases, especially osteoporosis – where bone mass decreases and the risk of bone fracture increases. The incidence of heart disease, the number one killer among women, also increases in menopausal and post-menopausal women. As does breast cancer. Fortunately, a healthful diet and specific nutritional supplements have been found to support both long-term health and reduce acute symptoms associated with menopause.

Building a solution for many of the symptoms and health concerns associated with menopause and women over fifty begins with a multivitamin. Multivitamins – particularly those labeled for women or for women fifty plus – provide the recommended amount of many nutrients women need but may not get from their daily diet. Maintaining bone health and preventing osteoporosis is a concern that begins with menopause and continues through the rest of a woman's life. Doctors recommend that all menopausal and post-menopausal women begin a daily regimen of calcium supplements. Nearly all multivitamins formulated for women contain calcium, though your healthcare professional may advise you to take an additional calcium supplement.

Calcium citrate – one of the two available forms – is gentle on the stomach and can be taken at any time. Calcium carbonate offers the advantages of costing less and requiring fewer doses, but should be taken with meals. Calcium absorption requires adequate Vitamin D, but most calcium supplements include it. Check the label to be sure. Soy isoflavone supplements contribute to bone health and may also help some women reduce or alleviate the incidence of hot flashes. Along with soy, hot flashes may be reduced by taking fish oil supplements – which contain the heart healthy omega-3s. Many women report reducing the severity of hot flashes by taking the herbal supplement black cohosh and some menopausal women have also used black cohosh to regulate fluctuating moods.

Women over fifty enter a phase of their lives when the risk of heart disease rises. In fact, heart disease is the number one cause of death among women – a good reason to make sure you're getting adequate amounts of B vitamins. B vitamins and other antioxidants that fight heart disease are also present in multivitamins, but you may want to increase your intake with a B-vitamin supplement.

Hair & skin health

Hair and skin contribute to our physical appearance, but they can be indicators of deeper health concerns. Brittle, lackluster hair, or hair that is thinning or falling out ... skin that isn't supple and is aging prematurely, wounds that heal slowly ... these can be signs of unhealthy conditions such as low iron or nutrient deficiencies, stress, poor circulation, or hormonal imbalance. While all of these are best diagnosed by a healthcare professional, an improved diet and nutritional supplements can improve the texture of hair and condition of skin.

"You are what you eat" is a nifty little reminder that our diets directly affect our health, and that includes the health – and appearance – of our hair and skin. Let's begin with our skin. Antioxidants – found in many foods – can prevent premature aging and repair skin damage. Antioxidant-rich foods include fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans and legumes, nuts, and seeds. Zinc is an antioxidant that has been found to speed the healing of skin wounds, and zinc helps the body resist infection. Tea and coffee can hinder our ability to absorb zinc, so if you're slow to heal, consider cutting out one or two of your coffee or tea breaks.

Although we hear a lot about avoiding fats – there are plenty of good fats, and omega-3 is one of them. Omega-3, which is found in fish oil and flaxseed, improves the condition of both skin and hair, and is also part of a heart healthy diet.

Hair is built from protein, so it makes sense that protein-rich foods like lean meat, fish, eggs, and low-fat dairy nourish and improve the health of hair, and can give it that silky texture. Although specific remedies provide a smart way to improve your appearance, hair and skin are really a reflection of overall health. So build a good foundation by getting regular exercise and eating a balanced diet that includes lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, as well as dairy and lean protein. And, as any model will tell you, drinking plenty of water and staying hydrated keeps the body supple.

Health and aging

For most of us, an important part of maintaining our quality of life as we age is preserving our independence. We want to be able to stand and sit comfortably, to walk or even run, and to continue our everyday activities. That is why bone strength is so important to the quality of our life.

Healthy bones have about the same breaking strength as cast iron. Maintaining that strength requires the constant replenishing of calcium, the main element of bone. So calcium-rich foods are an essential part of anyone's healthy diet, but especially during a person's childhood and the teen years when bones are formed. Having strong bones is particularly important before the age of thirty-five, after which bone mass declines each year. A calcium deficiency can lead to osteoporosis, a condition where bones become thin or weak, and are susceptible to breaking. The probability of osteoporosis increases once menopause begins, and estrogen levels decrease. Researchers have found that a third or more of all post-menopausal women are at risk for osteoporosis. According to the surgeon general, each year 1.5 million people suffer a bone fracture from osteoporosis. One of the most important steps in maintaining bone strength and mobility in later life is maintaining optimal levels of calcium in the body.

To counter the loss of bone mass, doctors recommend that women supplement their diet with calcium. Both calcium citrate and calcium carbonate are good forms. Calcium citrate is absorbed quickly and can be taken without food. If you have stomach sensitivity, calcium citrate is a better choice. Calcium carbonate is equally effective in building and maintaining bones, is less expensive, and can be taken in fewer daily doses. The drawback is that each dose should be taken with meals. To optimize absorption of calcium, the body needs Vitamin D and magnesium. Vitamin D is frequently included in calcium supplements, but check the supplement facts on the package to be sure. Along with calcium, magnesium is used in the formation of bones and is available in supplement form. Strong bones also depend on adequate amounts of protein, and soy isoflavone supplements are a good and easy way to ensure that you feed your bones this essential nutrient.