Supplements

Women and Supplements: Healthy Diets Aren't Enough

Why are supplements important?
Although studies show that certain supplements are vital to optimal health and wellness, Ageology's Chicago physicians will be the first to tell you that healthy nutrition starts with what you eat!

Unfortunately, today's food is often horribly nutrient-depleted. In other words, it's not as rich in vitamins and minerals as it once was--and in some cases it's actual toxic through exposure to pesticides. All of this makes supplementation more important than ever. In order to get all the proper nutrients we need to build healthy cells, it is vital women supplement even the healthiest diets.

Ageology physicians have compiled this list of supplements for women of any age looking to maintain health and vitality.

"Vitamins are crucial in maximizing the number of years you can continue to enjoy good health and smart health supplements are key components to a preventive care regimen,"  Ageology Chief Medical Officer Paul Savage.

Women's Multivitamin: a critical choice in preventing diseases including coronary heart disease, cancer, and osteoporosis. For women, a multivitamin is one, if not the most important natural health choice, for preventative health maintenance.

Multivitamins helps fill in the nutritional gaps of your diet and gives your body healthy servings of natural nutrition. Multivitamins are also some of the most affordable vitamins available.

Looking for proof? A Harvard University study confirmed "it appears prudent for all adults to take vitamin supplements." In this article, which examined the clinical applications of vitamins for the prevention of chronic diseases in adults and states that inadequate intake of several vitamins has been linked to the development of diseases including coronary heart disease, cancer, and osteoporosis.

Source: http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/287/23/3127

Fish Oil (EPA/DHA): an essential supplement for women. Fish oil, also known as Omega-3 fatty acid therapy, plays a key role in many anti-aging functions, including the prevention of heart diseases, breast cancer, high blood pressure, joint problems, weight gain, and depression.

Omega-3 fatty acids are nutrients most women are lacking in their diets. The richest source of Omega-3 is fatty fish but you can also get these vital nutrients from eggs, flax and walnuts. Fish oil capsules are also an excellent source to supplement Omega-3 fatty acids for healthy living.

Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3096360/

Calcium with Vitamin D3 and Magnesium: add years to a woman's bone health and plays a key role in determining longevity. While studies show Vitamin D3 can reduce mortality in women by 6 percent, most women are calcium deficient by simply not eating the required the three to four servings of dairy foods daily.

Just when a woman's metabolism and energy levels begin to naturally slow and decline with age, so does bone strength. Many health experts, including Chicago's Ageology physicians, believe that postmenopausal women need more calcium than younger women due to the underlying factor that bones in many women tend to become more fragile and deficient in calcium after menopause. Women are encouraged to increase the intake of calcium rich foods or add calcium supplements to their diet in order to prevent disorders linked with calcium deficiency.

Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21735411

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a substance found naturally in the body and helps convert food into energy, a driving force to preventing disease. Found in almost every cell in the body, CoQ10 is a powerful antioxidant that combats heart-related conditions by improving energy production in cells, preventing blood clot formation, and acting as an antioxidant.

Antioxidants combat particles in the body known as free radicals, which damage cell membranes, tamper with DNA, and even cause cell death. Ageology Chicago network of physicians agree with scientists who believe free radicals contribute to the aging process, as well as a number of health problems, including heart disease and cancer. Antioxidants, such as CoQ10, can neutralize free radicals and may reduce or even help prevent some of the damage they cause.

Source: http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/coenzyme-q10-000295.htm#ixzz1jT0jRAJB

Turmeric: a women's supplement for the brainpower of thinking and reasoning. One of the biggest fears most people have about getting older is age-related cognitive decline. Data indicates that deterioration of the biological framework that gives us the ability to think and reason begins as early as the mid-20s and includes a drop in regional brain volume. There are several supplements designed to help maintain a women's  brainpower. Ageology physicians agree with experts that the secret to turmeric's benefits is the high concentration of curcuminoids, which possess powerful antioxidant capabilities.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-weil-md/turmeric-health-have-a-happy-new-year_b_798328.html

Iron: one nutrient that women need in higher amounts than men. Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in today's women. As a direct result of blood loss during menstruation sapping their iron stores, menstruating women require almost twice as much iron as men. Fatigue, fainting, headaches, heartburn, irritability, itching, pale lips or skin, poor appetite, poor memory, a sore tongue or brittle nails are all possible symptoms of low iron levels.

Women need to check their iron level regularly and keep hemoglobin blood high and energy levels high. Iron rich foods include beef and chicken liver, beef, chicken, dark-meat turkey, prunes, dried apricots, sunflower seeds, broccoli, spinach, beet greens, peas and beans (lima, soy, and kidney).

Adding an iron supplement is a healthy decision that can have life changing benefits. Ageology physicians understand the importance of checking serum iron and ferritin levels, protecting women from excess or unneeded supplementation.

Vitamin E plays an important role in women's anti-aging health. Vitamin E helps reverse and eliminate premenstrual syndrome symptoms such as breast pain and also menopausal hot flashes.

Vitamin E retards the aging process. As an antioxidant, Vitamin E is necessary for the prevention of breast cancer and also promotes healthy skin and hair. Women who are on diets risk developing Vitamin E deficiency because the richest sources of this vitamin are foods rich in fats, which dieters typically avoid. The easiest way to get enough Vitamin E for dieting women is to take it in supplement form.

Remember, the healthiest nutritional choices are those made with the guidance of an expert. To obtain the safest and most effective use from vitamins and supplements, your Ageology physician can test your body's store of nutrients using the most advanced and scientific methods. Because of the potential for side effects and interactions with medications, you should take dietary supplements only under the supervision of a knowledgeable health care provider such as an Ageology physician.