Women have a higher need for certain vitamins, although men’s daily requirements are usually higher. You can find out which vitamins these are here.
Women need the same Vitamins and nutrients as men, but the daily requirement differs in some cases. Unfortunately, studies often neglect the gender-specific effect of micronutrients, although the results show that there are sometimes significant differences. Which vitamins and minerals should women pay particular attention to?
Women especially need these vitamins and nutrients
- iron is excreted via the blood during menstruation. Women therefore suffer from iron deficiency more often than men.
- Vitamin D is involved in the production of estrogen. As they get older, women are more likely to suffer from vitamin D deficiency than men.
- Vitamin B6: B vitamins are particularly important when taking the pill, vitamin B6 has also been recommended for years to reduce the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome.
- Vitamin B9 (folic acid): Everybody needs vitamin B9, because it is needed for cell division. However, the need is particularly high for women who want to have children and during pregnancy.
Why women need more iron
Iron is needed, among other things, for the formation of red blood cells. Its main function is to transport oxygen, which is why most iron is contained in the blood. Heavy menstrual bleeding significantly increases the risk of iron deficiency. It can happen that more iron is excreted from the body than can be replenished through food. This is another reason why iron deficiency is much more common in women than in men. According to the German Food Association, 57.8 percent of women in Germany and only 14.2 percent of men do not reach the recommended daily intake. The German Nutrition Society (DGE) recommends that women over the age of ten take 15 milligrams of iron a day. After the menopause, the requirement decreases to 10 milligrams.
As the practicing internist Helena Orfanos-Boeckel writes in her book “Nutritional Therapy,” young women in particular should have a ferritin level in their blood of at least 70 ng/ml. A level of 100 to 150 ng/ml is even better – especially if you are a woman who does a lot of sport.
Why women need more vitamin B6, B12 and zinc
According to the Federal Center for Health Education, 38 percent of women who use contraception take the contraceptive pill. According to Helena Orfanos-Boeckel, there is an increased need for vitamin B6 when taking pills containing estrogen. The need for zinc and vitamin B12 also increases. Anyone who suffers from premenstrual syndrome (PMS) while taking the pill may be able to alleviate the symptoms by taking vitamin B6. As the German Pharmacist Newspaper reported that in one study, vitamin B6 caused a significant improvement in mental and physical symptoms compared to the placebo group.
Why women need more vitamin B9 (folic acid)
Folate is important for cell division and blood formation, among other things. According to the German Food Association, 95 percent of women between the ages of 14 and 44 do not reach the recommended intake of vitamin B9. Incidentally, the terms vitamin B9, folic acid and folate are often used synonymously, but there is an important difference. Folate refers to the natural compounds found in food. Folic acid is the synthetically produced compound. It is only found in food supplements. Both are converted differently in the body, but the effect is the same.
Women who want to have children should have their folic acid levels measured. The DGE recommends taking “400 μg of synthetic folic acid” per day in addition to a diet rich in folate. During pregnancy, the requirement increases from 300 micrograms to 550 micrograms per day. Since folic acid is primarily needed for cell growth, an adequate supply at the beginning of pregnancy is particularly important in order to avoid malformations in the fetus.
Why women need more vitamin D
Vitamin D is involved in the production of female sex hormones. Nevertheless, the interaction between estrogens and vitamin D is complex and not yet fully understood. In 2020, a study looked at the effects of vitamin D deficiency on polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a metabolic disorder in women. It was found that women who suffer from PCOS also often have a vitamin D deficiency. Supplementation could reduce the risk, according to the study.
As we get older, it turns out that women are more likely to suffer from a vitamin D deficiency than men. In addition, women with a vitamin D deficiency are more likely to suffer from skeletal problems and fractures. The origin of the gender differences in age is not entirely clear. There is debate as to whether the difference is due to women’s higher body fat percentage. Studies have shown that vitamin D is stored in fatty tissue. This reduces the concentration of vitamin D in the blood, as Professor Caroline Stokes, head of the Food and Health working group at the Humboldt University in Berlin, told us upon request.