There’s a long list of minerals that women need to pay attention to, but three stand out in particular. These are iron, calcium and zinc.
Whilst everyone needs to consume enough iron to avoid feeling fatigued and suffering from anaemia, premenopausal women need more iron than men and postmenopausal women to compensate for the loss of iron they experience via menstruation. Between the ages of 19-50 it’s recommended women consume 14.8mg per day. Unfortunately, most fail to meet this requirement, especially women who follow a plant based diet, where iron is less bioavailable than the iron found in animal-based sources. In addition, a lot of us (especially the Brits) love our tea. However, most don’t realise that tannins also interfere with iron absorption. As a result, many women are at risk of iron deficiencies.
Another mineral that’s vital to female health, yet many women are deficient in, is calcium. As a major component of bone, it’s vital women consume enough calcium, especially through perimenopause and postmenopause when the rate of bone loss accelerates. However, peak bone mass starts to decline as early as age 30, so to protect their bones as much as possible, it’s recommended all women consume 800-1000 mg of calcium per day. Nowadays, many women exclude good sources of calcium from their diets (for example, dairy products) and as such are at an increased risk of becoming deficient.
Interestingly, unlike elsewhere in the world, British women often present as having excess calcium on hair mineral tests. This can be as a result of insufficient stomach acid to assist with calcium absorption and indicates that calcium is not bioavailable. As with a calcium deficiency, this can result in osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, as well as create fatigue, apathy and dry skin.
Meanwhile, zinc plays a key role in women’s reproductive health by supporting progesterone production. Zinc is found in a range of foods, including meat and shellfish, nuts and seeds, as well as lentils, peas and beans. Whilst it may seem easy to avoid a deficiency in zinc, there’s an added complication; high amounts of copper inhibits zinc absorption. This can result in hormonal imbalances that manifests as PMS (1), infertility (2) and even increases a patient’s risk of gynecological cancers (3).
That’s why it’s important, not just to know whether you have an overt nutritional deficiency, but also to consider nutrient balance. Only by knowing your nutrient ratios can you ensure your patients are meeting all their requirements. This is provided in a clear, easy-to-interpret format when you receive your hair mineral analyses from us (insert link).
My goal is to support you in feeling their best, and I’m very grateful for you allowing my women-owned business to do so.
Karen
References
- Prasad AD. (1982). Interrelationships of Zinc and Vitamin A Metabolism in Animal and Human Nutrition. A Review. Clinical, Biochemical and Nutritional Aspects of Trace Elements. Liss, N.Y.
- Eck P & Wilson L. Introduction to Copper Toxicity. www.advancedfamilyhealth.com/copper toxicity.
- Michalczyk K & Cymbaluk-Płoska A. (2020) The Role of Zinc and Copper in Gynecological Malignancies. Nutrients. 12(12):3732.
