Due to household chores and other responsibilities, most of the women are not able to strictly focus their diet, which leads to a deficiency of vital nutrients in their bodies. Therefore they need to take nutritional supplements in their diet to develop immunity to fight against common infections. These extra nutrients will prevent the formation of free radicals and allow your body to work properly.
According to WHO (world health organization), around 20% of women and 50% of expecting mothers are suffering from iron deficiency worldwide. Physicians always suggest an iron supplement for women after the age of 25 years to avoid becoming victims of anemia.
Besides, vitamin deficiency is found in many women due to poor nutrition, which adversely affects their eyes and causes neurological disorders in many infants. If this problem is not resolved in time, it can cause night blindness. So, it is better to take multivitamin supplements if you want to avoid such health problems.
Before we proceed, let’s know what dietary supplements exactly are.
What are Nutritional Supplements
Nutritional supplements or dietary supplements are the substances that are used to add vital nutrients to your diet. They come in various forms like pills, powders, capsules, tablets, gel, etc. Apart from these, they are also available in the form of beverages, for example, acai, noni, mangosteen, etc. These are flavored botanically-based beverages that are good in taste as well as possess many health benefits.
The nutritional need of women is not fulfilled by just taking a variety of food in their meal, these supplements play a key role in supplying all the essential nutrients required by their body and lowering down the risk of the health problems.
Major Types of Nutrients Supplements Required By Women’s Body -:
Vitamins -:
If a woman is not able to get different vitamins from her diet then she needs to take multivitamin supplements, because vitamins perform many roles in the body. Let us discuss the importance of each vitamin in our lives
Vitamin A -:
It’s a fat-soluble vitamin and helps different organs( such as heart, kidney, lungs, etc) of our body to work properly. This also increases our immunity and improves vision. It is of two types: retinoids and carotenoids.
Cod liver oil, Eggs, Skim milk, yellow vegetables, and fruits are the best sources of Vitamin A. The deficiency of vitamin A can result in night blindness, skin problems, respiratory infection, miscarriage, etc.
Vitamin B -:
A woman who works out every day burns around 2000 calories and needs an adequate amount of Vitamin B for the production of sufficient energy to meet the demands of the body. Whether they are hitting the gym or doing daily household work, they need the energy to perform a certain task that comes from Vitamin B. Even certain Vitamins decrease the risk of health diseases like Vitamin B6 and B12 decrease heart disease risks. It helps us to fight against infections, keeps nerve cells healthy, extracting the energy from carbohydrates, cell blood cell production, and much more. Some good sources of vitamin B are egg, cheese, dark green vegetables, oysters, liver, tuna, salmon, shellfish, etc.
The deficiency of vitamin B can give rise to beriberi disease, Pernicious anemia, Crohn’s diseases, etc.
Vitamin D -:
The major function of vitamin D is to absorb calcium, which helps in keeping healthy bones. This is also known as the “sunshine” vitamin because it can be taken directly from the sun. Another source of vitamin D is dietary supplements. The women who are deficient in this vitamin suffer from osteoporosis and loss of bone density. Osteoporosis results in porous bone formation due to which bones can break due to even minor injuries. Every woman must have good Vitamin D levels as they make bones stronger and essential for the prevention of diseases and overall health.
Vitamin E -:
It’s a fat-soluble nutrient and works as an antioxidant. It protects the body cells from the “free radicals”. Also, they help in reducing the aging effect and fight against many viruses and bacteria.
Vegetable oil, broccoli, spinach, almonds, sunflower seeds are the abundant source of Vitamin E.
The scarcity of Vitamin E can result in weak muscles and nerve cells. Many women feel difficulty in walking due to the deficiency of Vitamin E.
To maintain overall health, it is key for women to take multivitamin supplements along with vitamin-rich food.
Iron -:
As we discussed above, iron plays a critical role in the production of blood in our body. It helps in increasing the hemoglobin level in the blood and thereby facilitate the supply of oxygen to all parts of the body. The woman who does not consume appropriate levels of iron suffers from anemia.
Women’s bodies need more iron than men because they face excessive blood loss during the menstruation period. Therefore consumption of iron tablets for women is very necessary to maintain the optimum level of iron.
Red meat , beans , dark leafy vegetables, dry fruits are some good sources of iron.
Zinc -:
Zinc comes from the family of minerals and is very necessary to increase the defensive power of the body and in healing the wounds. When a woman is expecting she needs extra zinc, if the sufficient amount of zinc is not taken by pregnant women then it can lead to abortion, premature delivery, hair loss, etc.
So, it is always good for women to take zinc supplements to keep their immune systems strong.
Calcium -:
Calcium is just not needed for strong bones and muscles, but it also contributes to the nervous system and heart health. In the case of women, calcium starts decreasing after the age of 30 and this increases the chances of osteoporosis. According to researchers the regular diet of women does not contain adequate calcium, so they must include calcium tablets in their diet.
Conclusion -:
Women have to go through many difficult periods in life such as mensuration, pregnancy, and more, therefore their body needs more nutrients. Supplementation can fill the higher nutritional needs of women which cannot be met by regular diet.