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Vitamins For Women’s Health

Among the nutrients most studied for possible health benefits and most popular among consumers are the antioxidant vitamins: C, E, and carotene (vitamin A precursor). Epidemiologic studies and animal data suggest that these vitamins may offer some protection against heart disease and cancers when consumed in amounts greater than the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA). In contrast, randomized controlled trials have not demonstrated significant health improvement and several trials found an increased risk of lung cancer among high-risk individuals taking carotene. One reason that epidemiologic studies show a benefit while controlled trials do not may be the “healthy user” effect: the better outcomes observed in people who use supplements may have been due to healthier lifestyles, greater use of preventive services, or the result of some other unmeasurable reason. Vitamin E is the most intriguing of the antioxidant vitamins. A number of cohort and case control studies raise the possibility that intake of vitamin E may reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia. Clinical trials are under way, and their findings will help us better inform our patients.

Given the predisposition of many Americans to use dietary supplements, it is prudent for health care providers to be able to counsel on safe/nontoxic doses and intakes of vitamins and minerals that are associated with benefit in epidemiologic studies Many young women do not consume enough calcium in their diet, and reduced calcium intake in younger women is an important risk factor for developing postmenopausal osteoporosis. Although there is no evidence that adding calcium supplements for adolescent and menstruating women reduces this risk, dietary calcium and the possible need for supplementation should be discussed.

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