Because of this, a woman s nutritional needs may be different than that of the rest of the family. There are several vitamins and minerals essential to a healthy diet. A well-balanced diet will usually meet women's allowances for them. However, for good health, women need to pay special attention to two minerals, calcium and iron. Low calcium intake appears to be one important factor in the development of osteoporosis.
Women have a greater risk than men of developing osteoporosis.
A condition in which progressive loss of bone mass occurs with aging, osteoporosis causes the bones to be more susceptible to fracture. If a woman has a high level of bone mass when her skeleton matures, this may modify her risk of developing osteoporosis. For women 25 and older, the allowance drops to 800 milligrams, but that is still a significant amount, says Stephenson. Women need more of this mineral because they lose an average of 15 to 20 milligrams of iron each month during menstruation. Without enough iron, iron deficiency anemia can develop and cause symptoms that include pallor, fatigue and headaches.