Vitamins For Women - Cutting Through The Clutter

When reading about female health issues, invariably the subject
of vitamins for women will come up. With so many options,
choosing the right vitamins can be a web of confusion. First,
it is important to understand that the word vitamin is usually
used interchangeably to describe not only vitamins, but also
minerals, phytonutrients, amino acids, enzymes, herbs and a
whole host of other nutritional supplements.

Women's Nutritional Needs

Because of their unique nutritional needs at various times in
their life cycle, women require gender specific nutrients when
it comes to vitamins for women. To maintain a healthy diet, the
average female requires five to eight daily servings of fruits
and vegetables. This is no simple task given the typical diet
of women today and the stressful lifestyles most lead. It has
been reported that nearly half do not eat any fruit and 80
percent only eat leafy green veggies, which contain protein,
fiber and antioxidants, once every four days. Furthermore,
consider the fact that vegetables have lost much of their
nutritional composition in the last 60 years. A good example is
spinach. 100g of spinach has lost 137mg of its vitamin C content
since 1950.(Japan standardized ingredients list).

When your body doesn't get the nutrients it eventually develops
marginal deficiencies which can produce a whole host of
problems. Some of the more common include:

• Mood swings
• Fatigue
• Nervousness
• Headaches
• Confusion
• Muscle weakness

And, with sustained nutrient deficiencies, the average person
puts themselves at risk for serious diseases, such as cancer,
hypertension, Alzheimer's and heart disease.

So, if the average diet is unable to supply the all nutrients
needed in sufficient daily amounts, what can a woman do to make
sure her body is protected? The answer is really quite simple -
sensible supplementation. By taking supplements with the
correct balance of vitamins for women, along with a wide range
of all types of micro-nutrients, a female will be able to keep
her body in balance, stay energetic and remain disease free.

High Vitamin Doses Not Required!

Before you rush out to purchase a multi vitamin and mineral
formulation, it is important to remember that if you already
maintain a reasonable diet, you don't need supplements with
high doses of vitamins and minerals.

Most vitamin supplements available in the market contain way
over the top dose amounts of vitamins and minerals. These are
the cheapest ingredients in supplements! While they are
important, they are only required in small amounts. Far more
important are the amounts of key phytonutrients and herbal
extracts contained in a supplement.

Derived from plant extracts, high potency phytonutrients are
powerful, antioxidant disease fighters. While there are many
vitamins for women type products containing some phytonutrients
and standardized herbal extracts, most are manufactured to a
price and can't afford to include enough nor in sufficient
potencies to be of benefit.

Clinical studies have shown certain nutrients to be
particularly effective and beneficial in treating numerous
health conditions and for preventative health measures;

• L-Glutathione
• Blueberry
• Bilberry
• Resveratrol
• Turmeric
• Zeaxanthin

L-Glutathione – A Key Ingredient!

L-Gluthathione is the most abundant antioxidant enzyme in your
body, and crucial for cell health and organ survival. As a
person ages, their production of this vital substance
decreases. However, because of its exorbitant cost ($800 / kilo
wholesale) most supplements do not include it in their list of
ingredients.

Supplements containing L-Glutathione must contain the 'reduced'
form of the enzyme so that it can penetrate the intestinal cell
walls. Supplement manufacturers often cut costs by including
the much cheaper 'regular' form which offers extremely low
absorption levels. L-Glutathione is highly susceptible to
destruction by stomach acid so any supplement containing it
must be enteric coated.

Hormone Balancing Herbs

In addition to phytonutrients, herbal extracts are key
ingredients in vitamins for women products. Certain herbs help
to maintain and/or re-balance hormone levels during
menstruation and menopause and help ease discomfort and
associated symptoms. Five key hormonal precursors are:

• Black Cohosh
• Red Clover
• Dong Quai
• Wild Yam
• Isoflavones

These are key ingredients to look for in vitamins for women
supplements!

Amino Acids – Powerful Proteins

Known as the building blocks of proteins, amino acids play a
key role in increased energy, healthy immune, nervous and
musculoskeletal systems, balancing hormones and blood sugar and
overall brain health. Essential amino acids and derivatives
include:

• L-Taurine
• L-Arginine HCL (conditionally essential A.A)
• L-Methionine
• L-Threonine
• L-Tyrosine
• L-Carnosine
• L-Gluthione
• L-Proline
• L-Lysine
• N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine
• Carnitine / Acetyl-L-Carnitine

Important Considerations

In order to identify elite supplements offering the strongest
and safest health and lifestyle benefits, a few simple rules
should be followed.

Make sure that all herbal extracts and active enzymes are
standardized. This guarantees the potency and amount of active
ingredient. Safety, purity, and potency, are all guaranteed
when a supplement manufacturer sources all raw materials from
GMP registered and audited facilities. A supplement company's
website should clearly outline ingredient sourcing protocols.
Furthermore, all ingredients must have a Certificate of
Analysis (COA) to confirm potency. Look for supplement
companies who self manufacture. There are not many out there
but those that are tend to be more quality focused and are not
just out to make a quick buck.

By taking the time to study labels and know what to look for
when it comes to vitamins for women you will end up with a
safe, high quality supplement that does what it promises to and
is true to its label. These type of products are few and far
between in the supplement industry. Most supplements lack
product integrity and are poorly put together by marketers and
doctors rather than by highly qualified bio-scientists who work
with good science.

About The Author: Brett Seagrott worked in the supplement
industry and is the author of
http://www.nutritional-supplement-truths.com The site discusses
vitamins for women along with its main theme of `Evaluating and
Comparing Supplements'. It presents in-depth evaluations/
comparisons of industry leading supplements

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