Every BODY and every age have unique nutritional needs. However, with every stage of life, there are common nutritional inadequacies that women are most likely to experience. Learn what supplements are best for YOU!

20s
You may find yourself strapped for time and cash during these exciting transitional years, which could result in an unbalanced diet. What supplements should you consider taking?

• Calcium and vitamin D! Your 20s are a great time to invest in your bone health when your bone mass is still reaching its peak.1 Add vitamin D3 to enhance calcium absorption.2*
• Iron is important for menstruating women, as excessive menstrual blood loss is the most common cause of iron deficiency in women.3*

30s
In your 30s, you may be expanding your family and/or career, so you need all the energy you can get!

• B vitamins are often recommended to support healthy energy and mood.4 Taking a B complex will also include B9, also known as folate, which helps protect against neural tube defects during pregnancy.5*
• Omega-3s are important for heart health, fetal development, and maternal health.6-8*

40s
Your 40s are filled with possibilities; whether you are starting a new business, climbing the corporate ladder, juggling older kids, or welcoming a new addition, women in their 40s are thriving!

• Omega-3 is key to supporting your immune system, heart health, and mood to take on your 40s!9-11*
• Vitamin B12 plays a crucial role in regulating the nervous system, cognitive function, and mood.12-13*

50s
Your 50s and beyond can be a great time to reconnect with yourself and maybe your spouse too. Make sure to support all the amazing years ahead of you with high-quality supplements.

• Calcium is important from 50 on to protect the bones you built in your 20s and early 30s.14*
• Vitamin D is also important, as postmenopausal women are more likely to develop vitamin D insufficiency.15*
• Omega-3s are a great choice to support your cardiovascular, brain, and cognitive health.16*

To ensure you’re getting the nutrients you need at every stage of your life, consider adding nutritional supplements like Wellness Essentials® Women or Wellness Essentials Women’s Prime to your daily regimen.

​References

1. Walsh JS et al. Lumbar spine peak bone mass and bone turnover in men and women: a longitudinal study. Osteoporos Int. 2009;20:355–362.
2. Vitamin d fact sheet for health professionals. Nat Inst of Health. Available at: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional. Accessed January 26, 2023.
3. Abbaspor N et al. Review on iron and its importance for human health. J Res Med Sci. 2014;19(2):164–174.
4. Young LM et al. A systematic review and meta-analysis of b vitamin supplementation on depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress: effects on healthy and ‘at-risk’ individuals. Nutrients. 2019;11(9):2232.
5. Bixenstine et al. Folic acid supplementation before pregnancy: reasons for non-use and association with preconception counseling. Matern Child Health J. 2015;19(9):1974–1984.
6. DeFilippis AP et al. Omega-3 fatty acids for cardiovascular disease prevention. Curr Treat Options Cardio Med. 2010;12:365–380.
7. Nordgren TM et al. Omega-3 fatty acid intake of pregnant women and women of childbearing age in the United States: potential for deficiency? Nutrients. 2017;9(3):197.
8. Lauritzen L et al. DHA effects in brain development and function. Nutrients. 2016;8(6).
9. Calder PC. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and inflammatory processes: nutrition or pharmacology?: omega-3 fatty acids and inflammation. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2012;75: 645–662.
10. DiNicolantonio JJ et al. The benefits of marine omega-3s for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Mo Med. 2019;116(5):404-408.
11. Parker G et al. Omega-3 fatty acids and mood disorders. Amer J of Psych. 2006;163(6): 969-978.
12. Gropper S et al. Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism. Cengage Learning; 2012.
13. Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine. Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine. Palo Alto, CA: The Institute, 1991.
14. Jin J. Vitamin D and calcium supplements for preventing fractures. JAMA.2018;319:1630.
15. Matyjaszek-Matuszek B et al. Clinical implications of vitamin D deficiency. Meno Rev/Przegląd Menopauzalny. 2015;14(2):75-81.
16. Dyall SC. Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and the brain: a review of the independent and shared effects of EPA, DPA and DHA. Front in aging neurosci. 2015;7(52).

You’ve probably heard that vitamin C supports your immune system. This essential micronutrient seems to be everywhere! And it’s a good thing because, unlike most mammals, humans can’t synthesize vitamin C on their own.1 Also, vitamin C is water-soluble, which means the body quickly loses this essential vitamin through urine, so it’s important to make vitamin C a daily part of your diet.1
Having extremely low levels of vitamin C for prolonged periods can result in scurvy, a historical disease linked to pirates and sailors who faced long journeys at sea without fresh fruits and vegetables. While cases of scurvy in the United States are rare, a recent study reported that 31% of the US population are not meeting the daily recommended intake of vitamin C.1 Greater than 6% of the US population are severely vitamin C deficient, while low levels of vitamin C, associated with weakness and fatigue, were observed in 16% of Americans.2 As a whole, 20% of the US population showed marginally low levels of this essential micronutrient.2
How much vitamin C do I need?The US recommended daily dietary allowance of vitamin C is 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men.3 Experts recommend an estimated 200 mg of vitamin C daily for favorable health benefits.4 Adults can take up to 2,000 mg of vitamin C per day; however, high doses of vitamin C may cause diarrhea, nausea, and stomach cramps.5 Due to the varying health needs of individuals, it’s always a good idea to work with your healthcare practitioner to ensure that you are getting the right amounts of micronutrients in your daily diet.
Where can you find this marvelous, multifaceted micronutrient?

By Melissa Blake, ND

Our bodies have an amazing natural ability of keeping to a daily schedule via an internal 24-hour master clock.1 This clock contributes to the patterns, also known as circadian rhythms, of many biological activities including sleep-wake cycles, eating patterns, and hormone function.1
Finding ways to support and balance this clock, along with the many systems it regulates, may offer a novel way to optimize health. One way to optimize is through diet timing.
The circadian diet as a way of eating takes into account not only what we eat, but when.2 It is an approach to eating that synchronizes food intake around our biological clocks, emphasizing eating in sync with the body’s natural tendencies and instincts. This means eating during daylight hours or hours when we are naturally more active. Eating in this way can help support circadian rhythms and contribute to overall health and wellness.2

As diets and terms including intermittent fasting, circadian diet, and time-restricted eating gain popularity, the question may arise as to whether the principle on which this “circadian approach” applies to other aspects of nutrition, including supplementation.

5 common supplements
Although there’s still much to learn about optimal timing for both food and supplements, current evidence suggests it may play a role.3 Here are a few general guidelines for five common supplements to help you add the extra layer of timing and optimize your plan:

B complex
B vitamins are often recommended to support healthy energy and mood.4 There is some evidence that taking B vitamins before bed can have a negative effect on sleep quality.5 Consider taking any B vitamins, including a B complex, earlier in the day with food.

Fish oil
The most common complaints I hear about fish oil are burping or nausea. Taking fish oil supplements with food, divided into two doses, may help reduce these harmless yet annoying side effects.

Magnesium
Magnesium is an essential micronutrient that plays a role in hundreds of reactions in the body.6
Due to the overall benefits of magnesium supplementation, consistency is more important than any timing in this case. Known for muscle relaxation and improved sleep, taking magnesium before bed may enhance those benefits in some people.7 Others may notice digestive issues and may choose to take with food.

Probiotics
Any recommendation related to probiotic supplementation should be based on the specific strain; however, much of this detailed evidence does not yet exist.  Meal timing has more or less of an impact on probiotics depending on the strain, the dose, delivery method, etc.8 The consensus, however, is to take probiotics 30 minutes before or during a meal versus after eating.9 Another guideline is to space probiotics away from antibiotic medications by two hours to reduce interaction.

Vitamin D
Along with vitamins A, E, and K, vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is better absorbed when taken with a fat-containing meal (ex. fatty fish, avocado, olive oil, cheese, eggs).10 Although we do not have substantial evidence to support specific timing, it may make sense to take vitamin D supplements in the morning with breakfast to mimic the timing of exposure to natural sunlight.

Summary
As we continue to learn about specific supplements and optimal timing, consider that the best timing is the one you can stick with. You cannot benefit from a supplement you do not take. The most important thing is to take your supplements at a time that is convenient for you so you can be consistent.
Work with a knowledgeable healthcare provider to determine the optimal plan for you that includes quality, quantity, and timing.

References:

1. Rosenwasser AM et al. Sleep Med Clin. 2015;10(4):403-412.
2. Challet E. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2019;15(7):393-405. 
3. Oike H et al. Curr Nutr Rep. 2014;3(3):204-212.
4. Young LM et al. Nutrients. 2019;11(9):2232.
5. Aspy DJ et al. Percept Mot Skills. 2018;125(3):451-462.
6. Rosanoff A et al. Adv Nutr. 2016;7(1):25-43.
7. Altura BM et al. Med Hypotheses. 2001;57(6):705-713.
8. Pot B et al. Eur J Med Res. 2021;26(1):40.
9. Tompkins TA et al. Benef Microbes. 2011;2(4):295-303.
10. Dominguez LJ et al. Metabolites. 2021;11(4):255.

By Michael Stanclift, ND

Since the 1950s we’ve associated HDL cholesterol with being a positive for our health, and to a large extent, that’s true.1-6 However, more recent studies show us that elevated HDL cholesterol can actually be cause for concern.7,8 So what do we think is going on here? Well, first we have to look at what we’re actually measuring when we look at HDL and why we have assumed that was protective for our cardiovascular systems.
​
For years I taught patients that they can remember the “H” in HDL means that’s the “healthy” cholesterol. While this is mostly a good rule of thumb, the HDL letters actually stand for high-density lipoproteins. High-density lipoproteins are like tiny little garbage trucks that take excess cholesterol out of our system so we can get rid of what we don’t need. And when we measure HDL cholesterol, we’re basically looking at how much “garbage” (cholesterol) is inside those little trucks.

It would make sense that the more garbage we find, the more we would assume the trucks are picking up. Unfortunately, this is making a lot of assumptions based on just one finding. We’re assuming that we have enough garbage trucks, that everything on them is working, and that they’ll be dumping that garbage as soon as they get to the landfill (our livers). As you might suspect, those aren’t always the case. Sometimes our HDL particles contain a lot of cholesterol because there are just not that many little garbage trucks to handle all the cholesterol that needs to be transferred.9 Our HDL garbage trucks may also be loaded with cholesterol because they just aren’t unloading it well, which is akin to them driving around full and not picking up more garbage—not useful.10

So what we really want to know when we look at HDL and use that to predict cardiovascular health, is how much healthy HDL function does the patient have? This has been a tricky measure to pin down, but researchers and laboratories are looking to create tests that will give us a clear indication of healthy HDL function and bring that to us as patients. There are a few advanced tests available that can help give indications of our HDL function, but they still need more refinement.9
You’re probably thinking, “Are there ideal HDL levels? When should I seek more investigation?” We do have some indications of ideal levels that suggest our HDL is likely functioning well.  

​One study found the following ideal HDL ranges:9

• Men: 54-77 mg/dL
• Women: 69-97 mg/dL

If your HDL levels fall within these ranges, it’s likely functioning as it should, protecting your cardiovascular system and cleaning up other various things your body no longer needs.9 These ranges show us that there is likely an upper limit to what is healthy and ideal and that we might need to rethink the “more is always better” axiom we’ve followed for decades.

References:
1. Barr DP et al. Am J Med. 1951;11(4):480-493.
2. Gordon T et al. Am J Med. 1977;62(5):707-714.
3. Castelli WP et al. JAMA. 1986;256(20):2835-2838.
4. Cullen P et al. Circulation. 1997;96(7):2128-2136.
5. Sharrett AR et al. Circulation. 2001;104(10):1108-1113.
6. Di Angelantonio E et al. JAMA. 2009;302(18):1993-2000
7. Madsen CM et al. Eur Heart J. 2017;38:2478-2486
8. Hamer M et al. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2018;38(3):669-672.
9. Khera AV et al. Circulation. 2017;135(25):2494-2504.
10. Hancock-Cerutti W et al. Molecules. 2021;26(22):6862.