Health experts have revealed which dietary supplements are best to take during your twenties and thirties. Last week, a large US study found that multivitamins may slow brain ageing and memory decline, while other vitamins are reported to have specific benefits are certain stages of your life.
Around 38 percent of people in the UK take a daily dietary supplement, with vitamin D being the most popular. However, speaking to inews, experts have highlighted specific vitamins for women to take during their twenties and thirties.
Nutritionist and women's health specialist Hannah Alderson has told women: "Wherever there are hormonal shifts, women in particular, may need more micronutrients, essential fatty acids and some amino acids, to function optimally."
She also said: "The nutritional value of our food has changed dramatically over the years, so minerals are harder to find in the diet. I always recommend looking at food first, but mineral and vitamin deficiencies are common."
For women in their twenties, registered dietitian from Dietitian UK, Priya Tew, added: "Pre-teens and teenagers (especially girls and young women who experience heavy periods) are at higher risk of iron deficiency anaemia, so eating plenty of iron-rich foods, such as leafy greens, is important."
"A supplement may be needed for those who are anaemic, but you should always get this checked out with a blood test first."
Meanwhile, if you follow a plant-based diet at any age, you should monitor your intake of not just B12 and omega-3, but also iron, selenium, iodine, calcium and vitamin D. Alderson also says that some studies have shown taking the contraceptive pill may reduce your ability to absorb certain nutrients, so supplementing with a multivitamin could be a good idea.
Alderson recommends that women coming off the pill, should take a probiotic as some research suggests that it may alter the gut microbiome. She also suggests eating a diet rich in fermented and fibre rich foods to achieve a healthy gut.
For women in their thirties, they should continue with their vitamin routine they had in their twenties, but if you're trying for a baby, take two specific vitamins. While trying to conceive and during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy at least, women are encouraged to take folic acid.
Nutritionist Daniel O’Shaughnessy told inews: "Folic acid helps prevent birth defects known as neural tube defects."
Meanwhile, Alderson has urged women to either eat enough food with omega-3 in, or take a supplement during pregnancy and postpartum. She said: "Omega-3 is needed by the bucketload for both baby and mum, and low omega-3 status has been linked in studies to postnatal depression"
"It can be hard to meet your requirements through diet alone, and if you're relying on vegetarian sources you have to be able to convert omega-3 to the active form – not everyone is efficient at this conversion so supplementation can be useful."
