Women have some unique nutritional needs, including needing more of certain vitamins and minerals during pregnancy or after menopause.

• Calories. Most times, women need fewer calories. That’s because women naturally have less muscle, more body fat, and are usually smaller. On average, adult women need between 1,600 and 2,400 calories a day. Women who are more physically active may need more calories. Find out how many calories you need each day, based on your age, height, weight, and activity level.
• Vitamins and minerals. Calcium, iron, and folic acid are particularly important for women.
• Reproductive health. Women have different nutritional needs during different stages of life, such as during pregnancy and breastfeeding or after menopause.
• Health problems. Women are more likely to have some health problems related to nutrition, such as celiac disease and lactose intolerance, and vitamin and mineral deficiencies, such as iron-deficiency anemia.
• Metabolism. Women process some substances differently and burn fewer calories at rest and during exercise than men do.

Micronutrient deficiencies can have devastating consequences. Micronutrients, also called vitamins and minerals, are key to helping fetuses, infants, and children grow and thrive. Facts about six essential nutrients are outlined here.

The foods listed in the Vitamin Chart are excellent sources of nutrients, but you would need to eat lots of them to get what you need to power your health. That’s why, on top of eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, a daily multivitamin with 400 mcg of folic acid (B9) is a great and easy way to make sure that you get the recommended amount of vitamins every day!

The Power of Folic Acid (B9)

This one vitamin is packed with so much power that it’s simply a must for everyone who can get pregnant. Just take a daily multivitamin with 400 mcg of folic acid and you’ll get all the benefits.

• Beauty Aid - Folic acid makes your hair shine, nails grow, and skin glow.
• Stress Buster - Folic acid helps balance your mood. It makes serotonin, a chemical that helps lift your spirits.
• Natural Antidepressant - Folic acid helps regulate an amino acid that affects mood.
• Blood Booster - Folic acid makes normal red blood cells and helps the body absorb iron.
• Healthy Heart - Folic acid helps prevent heart disease and stroke by lowering cholesterol and blood pressure.
• Fountain of Youth - Folic acid helps prevent memory loss and improves your ability to think as you age.
• Lowers Risk of Some Cancers - Folic acid can lower your chances of getting colon, breast, cervical, pancreatic, and stomach cancers.

All vitamins and minerals are important for good health. Vitamins and minerals often work together in your body. It’s usually best to get your vitamins and minerals from many different types of food in all of the food groups. Fill your plate with fruits, vegetables, dairy, grains, and a variety of protein foods to build a healthy plate.

Calcium

Why it’s important

• Helps protect and build strong bones and reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Your body stores calcium in your bones, so if you don’t get enough calcium from food, your body will take calcium from your bones, making them weak and easily broken.
• Helps messages go between your brain and muscles

Who may need it

• Girls ages 9 to 18 need 1,300 milligrams (mg) of calcium each day. During this time, bones absorb calcium and build strong bones for adulthood and older age.
• Adult women need 1,000 mg of calcium each day.
• After menopause, you need 1,200 mg of calcium each day to help slow the bone loss that comes with aging.

Where to find it in food

Low-fat or fat-free yogurt, cheese, and milk; foods with calcium added, such as some soy beverages, 100% orange juice, tofu, and cereals; canned salmon; and dark green leafy vegetables

All vitamins and minerals are important for good health. Vitamins and minerals often work together in your body. It’s usually best to get your vitamins and minerals from many different types of food in all of the food groups. Fill your plate with fruits, vegetables, dairy, grains, and a variety of protein foods to build a healthy plate.

Folic acid/folate (Vitamin B9)

Why it’s important

• Helps your body make blood cells and the DNA for new cells
• Helps prevent certain birth defects called neural tube defects, which happen in the first three months of pregnancy
• Helps prevent premature births and low birth weight

Who may need it

All women who might get pregnant or are pregnant need to get 400–800 mcg of folic acid each day from either dietary supplements (most prenatal vitamins have this amount) or fortified foods like many breakfast cereals. Nearly half, or 45%, of all pregnancies in the United States are not planned, so it’s important to make sure you are getting enough folic acid even if you’re not planning on getting pregnant right now.

Where to find it in food

Spinach and other dark green leafy vegetables, oranges and pure orange juice, nuts, beans, chicken, lean beef, whole grains, and cereals with added folic acid.

All vitamins and minerals are important for good health. Vitamins and minerals often work together in your body. It’s usually best to get your vitamins and minerals from many different types of food in all of the food groups. Fill your plate with fruits, vegetables, dairy, grains, and a variety of protein foods to build a healthy plate.

Iron

Why it’s important

• Builds healthy blood cells that carry oxygen in your body
• Helps make certain hormones and connective tissue in your body

Who may need it

• All women who have menstrual periods. Iron is lost during monthly periods.
• Pregnant women. Women need more iron during pregnancy to supply enough blood for their growing babies.

Many women, especially pregnant women, do not get enough iron from food alone. This can put you at risk for iron-deficiency anemia. This condition causes your heart to work harder to pump blood so that more oxygen can reach all of your body. Anemia can make you feel tired, weak, and dizzy.

The amount of iron you need each day throughout your life is listed below:

• Ages 19 to 50: 18 mg
• During pregnancy: 27 mg
• Ages 51 and older: 8 mg

Where to find it in food

Lean red meats and chicken, seafood, cereals/breads with iron added, oysters, beans, dark chocolate, liver, spinach, tofu, and canned tomatoes.

All vitamins and minerals are important for good health. Vitamins and minerals often work together in your body. It’s usually best to get your vitamins and minerals from many different types of food in all of the food groups. Fill your plate with fruits, vegetables, dairy, grains, and a variety of protein foods to build a healthy plate.

Vitamin B-12

Why it’s important

• Helps your body make red blood cells
• Helps your neurons (cells in your brain and nervous system) work correctly

Who may need it

Some women may not get enough B-12. Talk to your doctor or nurse about taking a B-12 supplement if you are:

• Pregnant. Vitamin B-12 is very important for your unborn baby’s development. Without it, your baby may have a low birth weight or other health problems.
• Vegetarian. Because vitamin B-12 comes mostly from animal products, you may need to take a supplement to make sure you get enough. Also, talk to your doctor or nurse if you are feeding your baby breastmilk only, because your baby may need to take a supplement too.
• Age 50 or older. As we age, our bodies cannot absorb vitamin B-12 as well, so you may need to get more vitamin B12 from supplements or fortified foods, because it is easier to absorb.

Where to find it in food

Low-fat or fat-free milk, eggs, liver, poultry, clams, sardines, flounder, herring, blue cheese, nutritional yeast, and foods with vitamin B-12 added, including some cereals, fortified soy beverages, and veggie burgers.

All vitamins and minerals are important for good health. Vitamins and minerals often work together in your body. It’s usually best to get your vitamins and minerals from many different types of food in all of the food groups. Fill your plate with fruits, vegetables, dairy, grains, and a variety of protein foods to build a healthy plate.

Vitamin D

Why it’s important

• With calcium, helps build strong bones and prevent osteoporosis
• Helps reduce inflammation in your cells
• Helps your immune system fight off germs that can make you sick

Who may need it

Women who:

• Do not get much sunlight (you live in the northern part of the country or are homebound)
• Are African-American, Hispanic, or Asian-American
• Are postmenopausal
• Are obese
• Have inflammatory bowel disease or any other disease that makes it harder for the gut to absorb fat (vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning it has to be absorbed by the gut)
• Have had gastric bypass surgery (weight loss surgery)

Talk to your doctor or nurse if you think you may not get enough vitamin D. Most women do not need testing for vitamin D deficiency.

Where to find it in food

Fish like tuna and salmon, and fortified foods (low-fat or fat-free milk and some brands of orange juice, cereals, soy beverages, and yogurt)

Zinc is a mineral that your body needs for many things, including a healthy immune system and to make proteins and DNA. Zinc also helps the body grow and develop during pregnancy, infancy, childhood, and adolescence.

Meat, fish, other seafood (especially oysters), and poultry are all good sources of zinc. You can also get zinc from beans, nuts, whole grains, eggs, dairy products, and fortified breakfast cereals. Many dietary supplements, including multivitamin/mineral supplements, also contain zinc.

Keep reading to learn more about this important nutrient. 

Q. How much zinc do I need and what happens if I don’t get enough?

A. Women need 8 milligrams (mg) of zinc per day and men need 11 mg; if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you need a little more. Zinc deficiency can cause several problems, including loss of taste and smell, frequent infections, poor wound healing, and hair loss. Difficulties with thinking, reasoning, and memory can also occur in older adults. In infants and children, zinc deficiency can cause diarrhea, slow growth, and loss of appetite. It can also cause reproductive problems when these infants and children become adults.

Q. Are zinc deficiencies common in the United States?

A. Most people in the United States get enough zinc. But if you follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, you might fall short because most plant foods don't have as much zinc as animal foods. Others who might have trouble getting enough zinc include people with digestive disorders or who have had gastrointestinal surgery, those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, people who have alcohol use disorder, children with sickle cell disease, and some infants.

Your health care provider can help you determine if you are getting enough zinc and what to do if you are not. For example, they might recommend adding more foods that contain zinc into your diet or taking a dietary supplement.

Q. Does zinc help prevent or treat COVID-19?

A. Getting enough zinc is important for a healthy immune system, but taking zinc supplements hasn’t been shown to lower your risk of getting COVID-19 or help you recover quicker. For example, in one study, people who took zinc supplements regularly did not have a lower risk of getting COVID-19 than those who did not take zinc supplements. In another study, people with COVID-19 were split into four groups and took one of the following for 10 days: 50 mg zinc, 8,000 mg vitamin C, both supplements, or neither one. Zinc did not shorten the duration of symptoms.

Q. What about zinc and other illnesses?

A. Zinc might help with some illnesses in certain people. For example, lozenges that contain zinc might speed recovery from the common cold if you start taking them shortly after coming down with cold symptoms. In addition, zinc supplements help reduce the duration of diarrhea in children in developing countries. These children are often zinc deficient or otherwise malnourished. It’s not clear whether zinc supplements are helpful for diarrhea in children who get enough zinc, such as most children in the United States.

Q. Does getting too much zinc cause health problems?

A. Yes. Too much zinc can cause nausea, dizziness, headaches, upset stomach, vomiting, and loss of appetite. If you get too much zinc for a long time, it can also lower your immunity, reduce levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol, and reduce copper levels in your body.

Adults shouldn’t get more than 40 mg of zinc per day from foods and supplements, unless your health care provider recommends it.

Most women do not need a vitamin or mineral supplement. You should be able to get all the nutrients you need, including vitamins and minerals, by choosing healthy foods.

But there are three groups of women who might need a vitamin and mineral supplement:

• Women who are pregnant or could become pregnant. A supplement ensures that you get the folic acid you need daily to lower the risk of certain birth defects, including spina bifida. Check the Nutrition Facts label to make sure the supplement has at least 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid.
• Postmenopausal women. After menopause women lose bone density faster than men because of hormonal changes. Many women do not get enough calcium and vitamin D from the foods they eat. Calcium and vitamin D, along with weight-bearing exercise, help prevent osteoporosis. You may also need to take supplements with vitamin B-12 (see the chart above).
• Vegetarians. You can get some vitamins from animal products more easily than from plant sources. For example, vitamin B-12 is found in many animal products, including eggs and dairy, but it is not found in plants. Also, vegans especially may not get enough of vitamins B-2 (riboflavin), B-12, and D from food alone.

Talk with your doctor or nurse about whether you need a supplement and, if so, how much you should take.

Maybe. Continued use of a prenatal vitamin postpartum may exceed the iron and folic acid needs of a breastfeeding mother. However, some people, such as those with vegetarian and vegan diets, may not get adequate nutrients through their diet alone and may be at greater risk for nutritional deficiencies. In addition, the recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) (the average amount of a vitamin or mineral that meets the daily nutrient needs of nearly all healthy people) for some nutrients (such as iodine and choline) increase while breastfeeding; therefore, it is possible that diet alone may not be sufficient to ensure adequate nutrition for women who are breastfeeding. In these cases, breastfeeding mothers may benefit from taking a multivitamin supplement. Health care providers should work with lactating women to determine appropriate dietary supplements during lactation.

Many dietary supplements are safe, especially those recommended by your doctor or nurse. But dietary supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the same way medicines are regulated.

Companies that make vitamins and other types of dietary supplements (such as minerals and herbs) do not have to get approval from the FDA to sell their products. The companies are required to report any negative side effects from supplements. The FDA can take products off the market if they are found to be unsafe, have false or misleading claims on them, contain harmful ingredients (like heavy metals), or have too much or too little of an ingredient.

You should always talk to your doctor or nurse before taking a dietary supplement. Certain supplements can raise your risk for new health problems, especially if you are also taking other medicines. Some supplements can make prescription medicines not work. For example:

• If you take prescription medicine, such as blood thinners, certain supplements may interact with the medicine.⁷ When they interact with medicines, supplements can make medicines not work like they should and can lead to serious health problems.
• St. John’s wort, an herbal supplement some people take to help with minor depression, can make some medicines break down in your body more quickly than they should, making them less likely to work. These medicines include birth control pills.
• High doses (more than 3,000 micrograms [mcg] or 10,000 international units [IU]) of vitamin A may cause birth defects, bone loss, and liver damage.

Dietary supplements are products that people add to their diets. They include vitamins, minerals, herbs, and amino acids. They can be pills, liquids, powders, or energy bars.

Although dietary supplements can help support good health, they may also cause side effects and health problems. It is important to think about the health benefits and risks before taking any product.

Tips for Women

Anyone can have problems with dietary supplements. Some women need to take special steps to stay safe.

Pregnant Women

• Talk to your healthcare provider about what kind of prenatal vitamins you should take.
• Ask how much folic acid you should take before you get pregnant and during the first part of your pregnancy. Folic acid helps prevent birth defects in the baby’s brain and spine.

Women with Children

• Talk to your healthcare provider before you give supplements like vitamins to a child.
• Keep all supplements out of your child’s reach and sight.

Women with Health Problems

• Supplements are not intended to treat, diagnose, prevent, or cure diseases.
• Do not take supplements instead of your prescription medicines.
• Tell your healthcare provider about any herbs, vitamins, or other products you take. Some can affect how your prescriptions work.
• Some dietary supplements can be harmful if you take them before you have surgery.

Questions to Ask About Your Supplements

Talk to your healthcare provider before you use a dietary supplement.

Ask:

• How much should I take? Too much of some supplements can make you sick.
• Will they affect the prescription or over-the-counter medicines I take?
• When should I take them? For how long?

How FDA Helps You

FDA takes action against unsafe products after they are for sale.

However, FDA does not review or approve the safety of dietary supplements before they are sold. FDA reviews and takes action against false claims in product labels and other product information.

• Contact FDA if you have a serious problem after taking a dietary supplement. 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch
• Visit the FDA website to get other tips and safety alerts. www.fda.gov/Food/DietarySupplements

Be a Smart Shopper

Beware of scams and false claims. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Get the Facts Before You Buy.

• Check the source of the information on the product website or TV ad.
• Call or write the company that makes the product for more information.
• Check the National Institutes of Health (NIH) website to learn more about research on dietary supplements. http://ods.od.nih.gov
• Report false advertising to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). www.ftc.gov or 1-877-382-4357.

Q. Where can I find out how much of each vitamin and mineral I need?

A. To get a list of all vitamins and minerals and how much you need, check out the free online tool from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Just input a few pieces of information about yourself including your age, height, and weight. You also can get a list of your daily calorie, protein, and other nutritional needs. Keep in mind that the amounts of vitamins and minerals you need include everything you get from food and beverages—you may or may not need a dietary supplement to achieve these amounts. Talk with your health care provider to help you determine which supplements, if any, might be valuable for you.

Q. How can I get more information about a particular dietary supplement such as whether it is safe and effective?

A. Scientific evidence supporting the benefits of some dietary supplements (for example, vitamins and minerals) is well established for certain health conditions, but others need further study.

Research studies in people to prove that a dietary supplement is safe are not required before the supplement is marketed, unlike for drugs. This is due to the way dietary supplements are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is the responsibility of dietary supplement manufacturers/distributors to ensure that their products are safe and that their label claims are truthful and not misleading. If the FDA finds a supplement to be unsafe once it is on the market, only then can it take action against the manufacturer and/or distributor, such as by issuing a warning or requiring the product to be removed from the marketplace.

The manufacturer does not have to prove that the supplement is effective, unlike for drugs. The manufacturer can say that the product addresses a nutrient deficiency, supports health, or reduces the risk of developing a health problem, if that is true. If the manufacturer does make a claim, it must be followed by the statement “This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.”

Dietary supplements are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure disease. In some cases, dietary supplements may have unwanted effects, especially if taken before surgery or with other dietary supplements or medicines, or if you have certain health conditions. Supplements should not replace prescribed medications or the variety of foods important to a healthful diet.

Do not self-diagnose any health condition. Work with your health care provider to determine how best to achieve optimal health. Also, check with your health care provider before taking a supplement, especially if you take any medicines or other dietary supplements or if you have any health conditions.

Q. Where can I find information about the use of dietary supplements for a particular health condition or disease?

A. Scientific evidence supporting the benefits of some dietary supplements (for example, vitamins and minerals) is well established for certain health conditions, but others need further study. Whatever your choice, supplements should not replace prescribed medications or the variety of foods important to a healthy diet.

Dietary supplements are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure disease. In some cases, dietary supplements may have unwanted effects, especially if taken before surgery or with other dietary supplements or medicines, or if you have certain health conditions.

Do not self-diagnose any health condition. Work with your health care provider to determine how best to achieve optimal health. Also, check with your health care provider before taking a supplement, especially if you take any medicines or other dietary supplements or if you have any health conditions.

Q. What does the Supplement Facts label on a dietary supplement tell me?

A. All products labeled as dietary supplements carry a Supplement Facts label that is similar to the Nutrition Facts label found on food products. It lists the active ingredients and their amounts, plus other added ingredients like fillers, binders, and flavorings. It also gives a suggested serving size, but you and your health care provider might decide that a different amount is more appropriate for you.

In the Supplement Facts label, the amounts of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients like dietary fiber are listed as a percentage of the Daily Value (%DV). Each nutrient has one DV that applies to all people aged 4 and older. For example, the DV for vitamin C is 90 milligrams (mg) and the DV for the B-vitamin biotin is 30 micrograms (mcg).

The %DV allows you to see how much a product contributes to your approximate daily needs for that nutrient. For example, if a supplement provides 50% of the DV for calcium, it contributes about half of your daily needs for calcium.

Q. What is the difference between the RDA and DV for a vitamin or mineral?

A. Many terms are used when referring to either the amount of a particular nutrient (such as calcium or vitamin D) you should get or the amount in a food or dietary supplement. The two most common are the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) and the Daily Value (DV). These terms can be confusing.

RDAs are recommended daily intakes of a nutrient for healthy people. They tell you how much of that nutrient you should get on average each day. RDAs are developed by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. They vary by age, sex, and whether a woman is pregnant or breastfeeding; so there are many different RDAs for each nutrient.

DVs, established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), are used on food and dietary supplement labels. For each nutrient, there is one DV for all people ages 4 years and older. Therefore, DVs aren’t recommended intakes, but suggest how much of a nutrient a serving of the food or supplement provides in the context of a total daily diet. DVs often match or exceed the RDAs for most people, but not in all cases.

DVs are presented on food and supplement labels as a percentage. They help you compare one product with another. As an example, the %DV for calcium on a food label might say 20%. This means it has 260 milligrams (mg) of calcium in one serving because the DV for calcium is 1,300 mg/day. If another food has 40% of the DV for calcium, it’s easy to see that it provides much more calcium.

Q. What are the upper limits for vitamins and minerals?

A. Our bodies need vitamins and minerals for many things, like breaking down the food we eat, making bones and DNA, helping muscles contract, and maintaining immunity. But there’s no reason to get more than you need, and some nutrients can be dangerous in large amounts.

Each vitamin and mineral has a recommended amount, which is what you should get each day for good health. Most of them also have what is called a “tolerable upper intake level” or UL. Getting more than the UL can cause health problems. Other vitamins and minerals appear to be safe at any dose, while a few have a UL only under certain circumstances.

Which vitamins and minerals fall into which category? Here’s the breakdown:

• Nutrients with ULs: calcium, choline, copper, fluoride, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, phosphorus, selenium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin D, and zinc

  Stay under the UL each day for these nutrients to avoid health problems unless your health care provider recommends more. For example, very high doses of vitamin B6 can cause severe nerve damage and too much iron can be fatal. The ULs for these nutrients include what you get from food, beverages, fortified foods (including many breakfast cereals), and dietary supplements. But it’s unlikely you’ll go above the UL from food and beverages alone.

• Nutrients with ULs, but only from dietary supplements and fortified foods: folate, magnesium, niacin, and vitamin E

  These vitamins and minerals, as found naturally in food and beverages, won’t cause any health problems. But they can if you get amounts above the UL from supplements or fortified foods.

• One nutrient with a UL, but only for certain forms: vitamin A

  Vitamin A exists in two main forms: preformed vitamin A—such as retinol and retinyl palmitate—in animal products (including meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products); and beta-carotene (in fruits, vegetables, and other plant foods). Dietary supplements can contain both forms.

  Only preformed vitamin A has a UL because high amounts can cause health problems, such as birth defects during pregnancy and liver damage. Beta-carotene has no UL because high amounts don’t cause these problems.

• Nutrients with no ULs: biotin, chromium, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, thiamin, vitamin B12, and vitamin K

  These nutrients have no identified safety concerns, even at high doses. But there’s no reason to get more than recommended amounts unless your health care provider recommends it.