Vitamins And Minerals - Menopause And Healthy Living: Menopause Managing The Change Of Life

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Vitamins and minerals

Vitamins and minerals are important at all ages, and as you get older they may play a role in disease prevention. In midlife, women should start thinking of them as some added insurance against chronic diseases. Certain vitamin and mineral supplements — namely calcium, vitamin D, and the B vitamins — can help reduce the risk of various age-related chronic illnesses. There's some evidence that vitamin E may help ease hot flashes, but the data have been mixed. Taking a daily multivitamin will probably meet your vitamin needs, but to get sufficient calcium, you'll most likely need additional supplements.

Calcium

Calcium maintains proper functioning in the bones, heart, and nerves. If you don't consume enough to meet all of these physiological needs, your bones will pay the price. Your body will take what it needs from your bones, and the result could be osteoporosis. At midlife, women should consume more calcium than in previous years because calcium absorption declines with age. After menopause, you need 1,200 milligrams (mg) of calcium daily. Choose low-fat dairy options, such as skim or 1% milk and low-fat yogurt and cheese. Dried beans, dark green leafy vegetables, and nuts are other sources of calcium. Calcium supplements are also an excellent way to get the calcium you need. Your best bet for improving absorption is to take supplements in divided doses — that is, one pill in the morning and one later in the day. Many women find that drinking calcium-fortified orange juice or eating flavored calcium chews is an easy way to meet their daily requirement.

Vitamin D

Calcium and vitamin D work together to help maintain bone density. Without vitamin D, the body can't absorb calcium. Vitamin D production takes place in the body when ultraviolet light from the sun reacts with a form of cholesterol in the skin. A little bit of sunshine — about 15 minutes a day — can help boost your vitamin D production, but more than that can raise your risk of skin cancer. Vitamin D is also available in fortified milk. Women over 50 should get 400 international units (IU) of vitamin D daily; after age 71, the recommended amount is 600 IU.

B vitamins

Maintaining appropriate levels of certain B vitamins can help midlife and older women ward off anemia, depression, insomnia, irritability, and possibly heart disease and breast cancer. Folic acid, or folate, is a B vitamin that has a variety of healthful properties. Besides helping to prevent neural tube defects in developing fetuses, folate may help lower the risk of heart disease and several types of cancer, including breast cancer and colon cancer. In particular, a daily supplement of folic acid helps reduce cancer risk in people who drink alcohol. In the Nurses' Health Study, women getting the recommended daily amount of folate from foods or supplements had a lower risk of heart disease than women who got lower amounts. Folate is found in green leafy vegetables and oranges. Folic acid is the form of folate that's found in supplements and fortified cereals. The recommended daily dose is 400 micrograms (mcg) per day.

Vitamin B₁₂ is necessary for red blood cell production and healthy nerve function. It is found in red meat, chicken, fish, dairy products, and fortified cereals. Deficiencies of this nutrient are rare in the United States but may occur in elderly people who do not have enough stomach acid to extract vitamin B₁₂ from foods. Vitamin B₁₂ deficiencies in the elderly can lead to a condition called pernicious anemia, which can cause nerve damage and sometimes dementia. Injections of B₁₂ are needed for people with this deficiency because their digestive systems are often unable to absorb this vitamin. The recommended dose for adults is 2.4 mcg per day.

Vitamin B₆ metabolizes fat and protein and aids in the development of red blood cells and the neurotransmitter serotonin. The primary sources are meat and legumes. B₆ may help reduce your risk of heart disease; studies show that intake below the recommended 1.5 mg daily (for women) is linked with an increased risk of coronary artery disease. Low levels of vitamin B₆ have also been linked with depression, insomnia, and irritability. It's important to know that if you reduce your consumption of red meat without increasing your consumption of legumes (beans and peas) you may lower your intake of this vitamin.

What about soy?

Soy has been touted as a woman's health cure-all. Soy contains phytoestrogens, plant compounds that have weak estrogenic properties in some parts of the body and anti-estrogenic effects in others. There is some evidence that eating soy foods such as tofu may be helpful in reducing hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms, but the situation with soy has yet to be completely sorted out. It is possible that soy's estrogenic properties could compete with natural estrogen in the body instead of boosting estrogenic effects.

Research shows different soy products are metabolized differently in different women. Some women in studies have found that soy offers relief from menopausal symptoms; some have not. Studies looking at the effects of soy in the diet in relation to breast cancer, heart disease, and bone loss have not been consistent. If you choose to take soy, most experts think eating soy foods is safer than taking pills.

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Last updated:	August 13, 2007

Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.

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