Vitamins & Minerals For Women

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Women's nutritional needs change as they age and pass through the various life stages. Women who take the contraceptive pill will require different supplements to those who are experiencing menopause.

Breast feeding and pregnant women have huge nutritional needs and menstruating women are different again.

Many of the vitamins and minerals listed below can be taken as a part of a good multivitamin and mineral supplement. The dosages listed provide a guideline for the levels you should expect to find in the supplements and should be taken on a daily basis.

Women need between 5,000 and 25,000 IU of vitamin A as beta-carotene daily. Women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy should not take any more than 10,000 IU of Vitamin A daily as this can lead to birth defects in the baby.

The vitamin B complex should be taken three times a day with constituents between 10 to 25 mg. Vitamin B3 should be at 10 to 200mg.

Vitamin C should be at 200 to 600mg daily.

Vitamin D should be between 200 and 400 IU taken as ergocalciferol (vitamin D2).

Vitamin E should be between 200 to 400 IU daily.

Women with heavy monthly blood loss may also need an iron supplement, particularly if also fitted with an intrauterine device (IUD). Take 10 to 15 mg daily. The best form of iron is in meat and should also be taken with vitamin C.

Iodine (obtained in kelp, iodized salt and potassium iodide) is required at 75 to 150 mcg daily.

Zinc as zinc gluconate or picolinate should be taken at 10 to 15 mg per day.

Selenium at 50 to 200 mcg daily.

Calcium at 200 to 1,000 mg daily.

Magnesium at 200 to 400 mg daily.

Women with pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) should increase their intake of vitamin B6 to 25 mg daily and take evening primrose oil. Also take chromium at 200mcg daily and add fish oils at 2,000 to 3,000 mg per day.

Postmenopausal women will need extra antioxidants, as well as an increase in calcium (600 to 1,200 IU per day). Take boron 3 mg to help prevent bone wasting disease, osteoporosis.

Pregnant and breast feeding women will have different requirements (see ...)

Bland, J. 1996, Contemporary Nutrition . J & B Associates.

Davies, S. and A. Stewart., 1997, Nutritional Medicine . Pan.

Holden, S., Hudson, K., Tilman, J. & D. Wolf, 2003, The Ultimate Guide to Health from Nature . Asrolog Publication.

Pressman, A. and S. Buff, 2000, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vitamins and Minerals . (2nd Ed.) Alpha Books.

Soothill, R. 1996, The Choice Guide to Vitamins and Minerals . A Choice Book Publication.

Sullivan, K. 2002, Vitamins and Minerals: A Practical Approach to a Health Diet and Safe Supplementation . Harper Collins.

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Many women are deficient in a number of vitamins and minerals and you will need to take the time to figure out your exact nutritional needs before embarking on a program of supplementation. The information listed here should assist with this process.