According to an online survey by the Harris Poll on behalf of the American Osteopathic Association, 86% of the US population takes a vitamin supplement every day. While 70% of adults do so, one-third of them take a daily multivitamin.
A similar survey by The Harris Poll also reveals that 97% of women take prenatal multivitamins or vitamins during pregnancy.
It is extremely important to feed your body with the right nutrients if you want it to function properly. Essential vitamins and minerals help your cells, tissues, and organs perform better. This maintains your overall health, improving your productivity and quality of life.
On a daily basis, your body requires a specific amount of essential nutrients. This is referred to as the Daily Value or DV of your body. Filling your DV is important as it allows your body to correctly carry out all the vital processes. It is only then that you stay fit and healthy.
Improving your diet or taking dietary supplements can save you from many potential health risks, especially those associated with vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Many people, especially women, are unable to fill their daily value due to several reasons. Oftentimes, your lifestyle prevents you from acquiring adequate amounts of nutrition. Make sure you take a multivitamin every day to promote excellent nutrient synergy.
Whether you work at the office or have a laborious job that requires physical energy, every woman needs to maintain their daily nutritional value at a healthy level. While deficiencies can harm your reproductive health, they can also reduce the quality of your overall health.
Of course, you need to protect your outward appearance by using sunscreen and moisturizer, but that is not it. If you wish for your body to stay healthy and youthful, it is important to improve your daily intake. Multivitamins can make up for the essential minerals and vitamins that your diet lacks.
Here are some essential supplements that women must take in their daily multivitamins.
Calcium is a crucial supplement, especially for women, as it makes up more than 1 percent of their body’s total weight. It is naturally present in high amounts in milk and dairy products. You can also find calcium in fortified food items.
It is important for women to take a daily multivitamin that contains calcium in order to improve their bone health. This is especially due to the fact that women are more susceptible to osteoporosis than men. Not to forget, calcium also plays a vital role in normal cell function and blood clotting, as well as muscle and heart function.
While taking a calcium supplement is important for all women, it is especially beneficial for teen girls, women above the age of 30, and menopausal or post-menopausal women. This is because women achieve 90% of bone mass by the age of 18 while they start losing bone strength and mass after 30. Additionally, less estrogen production after menopause leads to increased bone mass loss.
The name folate comes from the word‘ foliage’ because the folate vitamin is rich in plant-based food sources. These include leafy fruits and vegetables such as asparagus, spinach, cantaloupe, etc. Typically, folate is a B vitamin variant that is soluble in water.
Folate is essential to keep your body healthy internally as well as externally. Adequate amounts of this B vitamin give your body a healthy appearance. All cells in the human body need folate for proper functioning as this makes up the cells’ DNA. It is impossible for the body to make new cells and tissue like skin and hair if it lacks folate.
It is important for all women to take a folate-rich multivitamin, especially those looking to conceive or be involved in sexual activities. Enough folate in the body reduces a woman’s risk of having a child with neural tube abnormalities like spina bifida and anencephaly. However, the nutrient is most effective during the first few weeks of conception, when most women don’t know that they’re pregnant.
The B complex is a group of B vitamins that you can easily find in a multivitamin. These vitamins typically include vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, and biotin.
The B complex is a water solution and can be found in foods such as vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. While B vitamins are also present in many fortified food items, B12 is exclusively present in milk, meat, and fish.
On average, all active women burn around 2000 calories each day. Whether you’re giving a presentation at work or working out, you need an adequate amount of B vitamins to meet the physical demands of your body. A daily multivitamin containing B complex helps your body produce the energy you need on a daily basis.
Not only this, vitamins B6 and B12 are also helpful in reducing a woman’s risk of developing heart disease by lowering the homocysteine levels. On the other hand, biotin is a great supplement for promoting healthy hair growth.
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is present in fortified foods like milk. Our bodies also naturally make this vitamin upon exposure to sunlight. While looking for a daily multivitamin, make sure you choose one that contains at least 500 IU of vitamin D per serving.
Vitamin D assists bones in calcium absorption from daily intake. It also plays a huge role in maintaining and improving bone health. Not only this, but several recent research also revealed that an adequate amount of vitamin D in the body could also prevent certain diseases like osteoporosis.
As we already mentioned, women are more prone to developing osteoporosis than men. This makes it incredibly important for women to make use of a multivitamin containing vitamin D. While this is essential for all women, it is most important for ones who do not consume milk, dairy products, or vitamin D fortified foods. It is also especially important for pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Taking a daily multivitamin can improve your overall health by meeting your body’s daily nutritional demands. It is important for women to consider dietary supplements that are rich in calcium, folate, B complex, and vitamin D. Enough amounts of these essential nutrients can prevent risks of certain diseases while also improving reproductive health.
Sources
https://www.womenshealth.gov/healthy-eating/how-eat-health/vitamins-and-minerals-women
https://www.allure.com/story/do-i-need-to-take-multivitamins
https://www.everydayhealth.com/womens-health/vitamins-for-women.aspx