Vitamins help
women maintain their health during every stage of life. Vitamins can be taken through the food you eat or through vitamin supplement pills. They help girls to grow and develop into healthy women. Vitamins help pregnant women deliver healthy babies. Vitamins also alleviate the pains associated with menstruation and menopause.
Puberty
Vitamin D is especially important for girls during puberty. According to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, "insufficient vitamin D can stunt growth and foster weight gain during puberty" in girls. You get vitamin D from exposure to sunlight. Even in the sunny state of California, however, where the study was conducted, "vitamin D deficiency was found to cause higher body mass and shorter stature in girls at the peak of their growing spurt."
Menstruation
U.S. Department of Agriculture Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center scientists found that certain vitamins can significantly reduce the pain women experience during menstruation. Vitamin B6 helps reduce cramps, according to Dr. Susan M. Lark, M.D., director of the PMS and Menopause Self-Help Center in Los Altos, California. Dr. Lark recommends women take 200 to 300 milligrams of B6 vitamin supplement during their periods. She recommends vitamin C supplements for women who experience heavy bleeding.
Prenatal
According to Columbia University Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, iron, calcium and folic acid are crucial for healthy fetal growth and development. The Department states that "folic acid supplements have been shown to dramatically reduce the risk of having a baby with a neural tube defect." Neural tube defects are "serious birth defects that occur during the development of the brain and spinal cord." Because women aren't always able to increase the amount of iron, calcium and folic acid they take in through their diet, the Department recommends taking specially formulated prenatal vitamins to receive the proper nutrients for pregnancy.
Menopause
Vitamins help maintain healthy bones and relieve menopausal symptoms in women. Vitamin E may help relieve hot flashes and sore breasts. Vitamin A can soothe dry and rough skin and vitamin C is helpful for you to maintain collagen. Vitamin B complex decreases depression, fatigue and emotional stress during menopause. Consult your doctor as to how much of each vitamin you should take during menopause.
Warning
Some prenatal vitamins cause women increased nausea during pregnancy. If your prenatal vitamins make you feel sick, consult your doctor for a different type of prenatal vitamin. It is also important to note that there is a such thing as overdosing on vitamins. Consult your health care provider to learn the proper amount of vitamins you need to be healthy at any stage of your life.
Tags: folic acid, prenatal vitamins, Vitamins help, calcium folic, calcium folic acid, Consult your, during menopause
