Vitamins: What Women Really Need.

There’s no question that both men and women need the vitamins and nutrients that a balanced diet can provide to deal with the rigors of the work day, but women need to be especially diligent in fortifying their bodies. In addition to pregnant women, who need to adjust their nutrient intake to nourish their growing baby, women stand a greater risk of developing diseases such as osteoporosis as the years pass and estrogen levels drop during menopause.

Looking After Your Bone Health

Calcium is one of those super-nutrients that plays a huge role in helping women avoid osteoporosis. If you aren’t getting enough calcium from your diet, then your body extracts what it needs from your bone mass, which can lead to a skeletal deficit and brittle bones later in life. Not only does calcium ensure strong bones and support your posture, it also aids the passage of all the other nutrients you need through cell walls, ensuring proper muscle contraction and blood flow. Women have considerably less bone density than men, so it’s that much more important that you fortify your diet with calcium.

Vitamins for Anti-Aging and Overall Health

Any woman you know would likely be eager to hear about any vitamins with anti-aging properties—and more than a few men, as well. These exist naturally, in the form of the vitamins beta-carotene, vitamin E and vitamin C, which also perform a host of other health benefits. The primary function is to bind up destructive free radicals through chemical processes, which keeps the radical elements from tearing your body apart at the molecular level: destroying cell membranes, wreaking havoc on your intestines and causing intestinal disorders and more.

Vitamin E, in particular, appears to play a part in reducing age-related ailments and processes. Together, these vitamins are classed as antioxidants. To make sure you’re getting your share of them, simply eat the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables per day. If you’re still looking for a boost, you can also try adding vitamin supplements to your care routine.

The Alpha and the Omega (3)

If calcium can be considered the first line of defense against body-breakdown in your later years, then omega-3 fatty acid can be considered the last line of defense. It turns out that women need almost twice as much of this essential fatty acid as men do, and it confers greater health benefits for a few exclusively feminine problems. For example, omega-3s have powerful anti-inflammatory properties, which makes it a godsend for menstrual pain. It can also help lift your mood, and can be used in conjunction with other treatments for depression.

The good news about Omega 3 hardly stops there—it also has been shown to help manage various types of cancer that are more or less exclusive to women, such as breast and colorectal cancer. Most importantly of all, omega-3 must be derived from your diet, because the human body is incapable of manufacturing it on its own.

There are some nutrients that women just need more of to stay healthy. These vitamins and other nutrients help keep women happy and healthy throughout long, productive lives.