Introuction
Nutrition and women’s health are an important topic and there should be great attention to it because of the impact nutrition has on women’s health. Women of different ages have different nutritional needs and these requirements change throughout each stage of a woman’s life. The needs of a woman aged 18-35 years old, who has a high requirement for physical activity and wears high-heeled shoes, cannot be provided by extra calcium after the age of 40.
Women’s health is influenced by many determinants, including nutrition, which is a basic but very important preventive health care approach. Poor nutrition, not only for a long time, would result in various health problems especially in the late life, but also would influence the next generation’s health mainly through programming genes during pregnancy.
Women’s health is now largely recognized as a global health issue and women are free to access medical services. However, there are social and cultural barriers that prevent women from reaching their full health potential and becoming the best role model for themselves and their family.
Key Nutrients for Women’s Health
Iron is an essential nutrient for proper hematologic function. Anemia affects women much more frequently than men. The major cause of iron deficiency in adult women is related to the menstrual loss of iron. Absorption is also affected by form, the time at which it is administered and other substances present in the diet. Knowledge about the influence of these factors can be used to plan an effective diet for women at risk of developing an iron deficiency anemia. High-risk groups for iron deficiency anemia can be defined as moderate to heavy exercisers, high-risk eaters, dancers, joggers, vegetarians, anorexic individuals, and bulimic individuals.
The impact of nutrition on women’s health. Emerging literature demonstrates how various components of nutrition may influence various endocrinologic processes important in women’s health over the course of a lifetime. This review summarizes a portion of this complicated relationship, focusing in particular on the importance of calories, fat, iron, and calcium. The role of nutrition in normal menstrual function, optimal peak bone mass, and prevention of menstrual abnormalities and osteoporosis is discussed. Nutrition in relation to qualitative aspects of women’s health such as exercise and eating disorders and other determinants of exercise and bone mass peak is not discussed.
Iron
it is important to note that caffeine, tea, and other substances contained in fruits actually reduce the absorption of non-heme iron. Dietary fiber may also help reduce the absorption of non-heme iron. This is important to consider when avoiding overuse of fiber through snacks and other foods such as bran. Be careful when more than adequate iron is listed in multivitamins and some fortified foods. Very high levels can cause damage to the liver, heart, and endocrine glands. Intakes of iron are set at a wall due to gastrointestinal symptoms of pain, illness, nausea, cramps, irregular bowel movements, or hemorrhoids. In particular, women concerned about iron should get a median of 40 mg/day.
To ensure overall iron discipline, it is recommended that the RDAs are met through food strategy. This is because supplements are useful in limited cases, for example, during pregnancy. Meat, fish, poultry, lentils, runner beans, tofu, almonds, and pumpkin seeds are good options when learning about iron-rich foods. When iron is consumed with vitamin C-rich foods, it is likely that the iron is absorbed more easily. In fact, vitamin C from fruits increases the bioavailability of iron from such foods as grains, dried beans, and spinach, or from iron supplements.
As with the other essential nutrients that are present in one’s diet, there is a concern due to the loss of dietary quality of both men and women with increasing age. Older individuals can have a decreased appetite, and nutrient-dense foods may be avoided due to dietary restrictions. Especially for iron, water may be added so that nutrient losses are reduced.
In the course of a woman’s lifetime, low levels of hemoglobin are relatively common. Women usually have fewer red cells and less hemoglobin than men. On top of that, they have higher iron losses that essentially occur during their childbearing years through menstruating blood loss and pregnancy.
Iron is an essential nutrient for women of reproductive age. Most of the iron in our bodies is found in hemoglobin, a protein located in red blood cells. This is responsible for carrying oxygen to all parts of the body
Calcium
Pregnant and postmenopausal women have an increased need for calcium.
Good sources of calcium are milk, cheese, and ice milk and yogurt made from low-fat milk; green leafy vegetables such as kale and broccoli; and shellfish, including oysters, clams, and shrimp.
Vitamin D
women with dark skin, those who do not consume foods containing this vitamin, those who are lactose intolerant, or who abstain from animal or fortified foods are at increased risk for reduced vitamin D intake. A priori biological significance: Vitamin D is important for the absorption of calcium essential for the development and maintenance of a strong skeleton. Potential public health impact: Promoting adequate vitamin D intake has the potential to impact musculoskeletal health and insulin resistance in reproductive age women and their offspring. The primary outcome will be bone and metabolic health.
The Impact of Nutrition on Women’s Health Conditions
During the pre-menopausal years of women’s lives, both the physiological and social roles that they are expected to fulfill pose significant and demanding stresses on their nutritional and health status. The primary nutritional stresses associated with the pre-menopausal years relate to reproductive health and are linked specifically with early pregnancy, pregnancy, and lactation. As women take on their unique and natural social roles as mothers, their physical health becomes increasingly vulnerable. Indeed, the nutrition-related health problems of many women can be traced back to their nutrition at critical stages in their own reproductive cycle or to the quality of their own early childhood nutrition.
Women occupy a socially subordinate position and are biologically more vulnerable than men to many health problems. Throughout their reproductive lives, women’s nutritional and health status is significantly influenced by the demands made on their bodies and the workloads they carry as a result of the social relations governing their lives. As women fulfill their biological potential within their societies, not only their individual families, but also their societies and communities as a whole will improve. Nutrition, by promoting the accumulation of both human and social capital within the individual woman and within her society, is an essential determinant of women’s social, economic, emotional, and physical well-being
Conclusion
Encouraging a healthy diet and lifestyle prevents or alleviates a variety of health problems, so women should listen to what their body is saying and not neglect.
