What Supplements Do Women Need - Really?

Michael D. Seidman, MD., FACS

This discussion should be prefaced with the fact that this information could be several books long. In the interest of space and attention spans we will abbreviate this to several pages.

Men are from Venus, Women are from Mars, or is it that Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus? Point is that men and women are different so women have distinctive nutritional needs. In reality, it is not that simple and although there are obvious biological differences, our nutritional needs are not that divergent. Nonetheless, there are some important nutrients that are likely to be of greater importance for women.

As Barbara Beznos, RD writes “Woman today have many starring roles; being a daughter to an aging parent, a wife, a mother, a full time employee, a sister, a mentor, a caring friend, a volunteer. Faced with these complex and endless obligations, being stressed, lack of energy, slow metabolism, time management problems, and food issues; it adds up to the familiar question of, “What’s wrong with me?” How can I be the best I can be, lose weight, maintain my energy, and raise my metabolism to do everything I must do through out the day? Who can I trust; the doctor, the trainer, the dietitian, the media or the food industry?”

Prior to considering appropriate supplementation, we need to consider lifestyle. Women have higher rates of heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, obesity, and eating disorders. Everyone, women and men alike, need to work diligently to get to their appropriate weight for their given height (expressed as body mass index). Use Body Language Vitamin Co free BMI calculator at www.bodylangvitamin.com and click on the Educational Resources Task bar. A BMI of 20-25 is normal > 25 is overweight and >30 is obese. If your BMI is greater than 25, you must lose weight. Eat foods in their natural state, whenever possible. Eating from the basic food groups is critical and an emphasis on 5-10 helpings of fruits and veggies per day is mandatory. Whole grain consumption (fiber), legumes, non-farm raised fish, free range poultry, free range organic eggs, and organic yogurt are also important to reduce exposure to pesticides and hormones. Plenty of water is terrific and reduction or elimination of caffeine, sodas, NutraSweet, aspartame, refined flours, hydrogenated fats and trans fats, salts, and sugars would be an immense help. Generally speaking, Americans would do better by reducing their intake of meat and dairy products. Tobacco products are taboo and any more than 1-2 glasses of alcohol for women should be discouraged due to warning roles in cancer. Exercise is critical and I recommend 30-60 minutes at least four-five times per day of aerobic and weight bearing exercise. Mindfulness and or meditation to help relieve stress are critical to a happy, healthy and productive life. It is amazing how quickly you will feel an improvement in your energy, general well-being and productivity levels.

With the above necessary steps in mind we can briefly discuss what constitutes appropriate nutritional supplementation for women.

Every woman and man needs:

1. A great multivitamin/mineral formula: This can be found at most health food stores. The one a day supplements may come close to the governmental requirements for some nutrients, however, they typically miss the mark on the majority of nutrients. Your MVI should be 2-4 pills/day to give you the amounts of nutrients necessary for good health. It is a strong plus if the supplements are all-natural. Typically this will enhance the absorption, assimilation and bioavailability of the supplement. Additionally, it is preferred to have minerals that are chelated (mineral bound to an amino acid, i.e. calcium gluconate, glycinate or citrate, not carbonate. Another example is zinc monomethionate or gluconate but not sulfate) which facilitates their absorption.
   
   
2. An Antioxidant formula: The danger from reactive oxygen species (ROS’s), also known as free oxygen radicals, cannot be overstated. From the day we’re born these highly destructive and dangerous molecules form in our bodies. ROS are created by many biological functions including; breathing, energy production, pollution, solar radiation, poor diet and a lack of exercise. A relatively unknown fact is that our bodies make 7 trillion ROS’s per second. ROS’s are implicated in most disease states ranging from arthritis, heart disease and stroke to cancer. These tiny molecules have also been identified as a primary instigator in the processes of aging. Typically, a great antioxidant formula will be 2-4 pills; again a single pill cannot have enough of the variety and dose of antioxidants necessary to offer a potential protective benefit. Rarely found in the “conventional” antioxidant formulae, but ever so important are things such as quercetin, green tea extracts, reservatrol (or grape seed extract), pine bark extract and others. (These are included in Body Language Vitamin Co. antioxidant formula.)
   
   
3. Essential oils: Essential fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids. These are named essential because they cannot be made within the body and have to be supplemented in the diet. Essential fatty acids (EFA) are distinguished chemically by the position of the first double bond. Omega 3 fatty acids have their first double bond 3 carbons from the molecule’s acid tail; they include alpha linolenic acid (ALA)-A great source is deep sea fish. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are found primarily in fish oils and marine micro-algae. Deep-sea fish like Mackerel, Salmon, and Sardines are rich in EPA and DHA, while Tuna and Sword Fish have lower amounts of Omega 3’s). Fish oil alternatives for EPA and DHA are flaxseed, perilla and black currant oil. There has been some concern regarding the possibility of contamination of fish with mercury, PCB’s and other toxins. Fish oil must undergo a refining process to eliminate the heavy metals, but the only way to remove the PCB’s is to subject the oil to molecular distillation. It is important to be sure that the fish oil that you consume has gone through these rigorous purification processes and is purchased from a reputable source. The importance of essential fatty acids also relates to their function in the body. The body is made up of cells and a cell membrane’s fluidity and function is determined by the fatty acids it incorporates. In the absence of EFA, saturated fats predominate in the cell membrane, making it hard for the membrane to regulate the materials passing in and out of the cell. These unhealthy cell membranes lose their ability to hold water, nutrients and electrolytes. This leads to difficulty in cellular communication and reduces the cells ability to be controlled properly by regulating hormones. This can lead to various disease states such as diabetes and heart disease (Murray & Beautler). It is also thought to be important in the prevention of Alzheimer disease. Essential oils should have a variety of components including the Omega 3’s (primary source being fish oils, but there are other sources). We also recommend evening primrose oils, phosphatidylcholine, phospatidylserine, pumpkin seed oil and flax seed oils. (Body Language Vitamin Co has put together an outstanding Essential oils formula into four vital capsules each day, if you do not want to search out for all the oils independently.)

These are really the essentials for all women and men. In addition to a well balanced diet, women need extra calcium than what can be placed into a great MVI or antioxidant formula. Usually, 5-600 mg can be packed into one caplet. We recommend between 1200-1500 mg of calcium each day. Remember for proper absorption and assimilation into the bone matrix (where it is needed to reduce the likelihood of osteoporosis), you need phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, vitamin K, boron, and vitamin D. Thus, if you take a great MVI and antioxidant formula you are more than likely getting the extra minerals and vitamins you need to assist in the absorption of additional calcium.

Many menstruating women require additional iron either in their diet or via supplementation. Too much iron acts as a pro-oxidant (the opposite of an antioxidant), thus do not exceed 18 mg/day of extra iron.

Lastly, there is compelling evidence that we should be taking things to further enhance energy production in our cells. There are supplements that combine Acetyl-l-carnitine (extremely important for mitochondrial function-the organelle in our cells that is responsible for energy production), alpha lipoic acid (a very powerful antioxidant that has been shown to enhance memory and cognition. It is also very useful for diabetics and facilitates glucose utilization), extra Co-enzyme Q-10, essential for proper mitochondrial function and an absorbable form of glutathione (a powerful antioxidant used in our bodies defense mechanisms). (There is a patented formula made by Body Language Vitamin Co.-Anti-age energy formula that encompasses excellent doses of these important four ingredients rarely found in MVI or antioxidant formulae in any significant amounts,if at all.)

There are so many other specific situations, such as lactation, pregnancy, PMS, menopause etc. that are normal stages in a women’s life that could each be addressed by their own book.

The reader who would like more detailed information and data is referred to www.bodylanguagevitamin.com click on Educational Resources task bar and read the many word documents and powerpoint slide presentations.

Dr. Michael Seidman is also the founder and CEO of Body Language Vitamin Co.

(Disclosure: I, Dr. Michael Seidman, have been designing nutritional supplements since 1981, and I also have a strong background on herbs. I have developed several patents related to nutritional supplements and am the Founder and CEO of Body Language Vitamin Company.)