What is in this article?:
- Study finds menopausal women deficient in vitamin D
- Perimenopausal women need supplements, too
A Spanish study reports that women are not getting enough vitamin D from food so they're increasing risk of certain diseases that often accompany menopause. Are retailers and manufacturers seizing the opportunity to provide D-fortified supplements to older women?
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A new study from Spain finds that women are not getting adequate levels of vitamin D from their diets before, during, and after menopause, which puts them at greater risk of the common health conditions that may accompany this life stage, including diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease and breast cancer. A related 2007 study at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School reported that a combination of vitamin D and calcium reduced risk of breast cancer in perimenopausal women.
In the current study, which was published in Nutrición Hospitalaria, researchers examined the eating habits of 3,574 Spanish women, ages 45 to 68. Perimenopause often begins after age 40 and lasts until a woman does not menstruate for an entire year, when she is considered to be in menopause, which on average occurs at age 50.
The researchers found that while the majority of women were attaining the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for most nutrients, they all fell short when it came to vitamin D and on average were only consuming 39% of the RDA for their age group. The other nutrient they were lacking was vitamin E. The study also reported that 29 percent of participants were obese and 42 percent were overweight.
The scientists concluded that a Mediterranean diet approach to eating more vegetables, fruits, nuts and beans, and less fat and protein could correct the low levels of both vitamins D and E. It appeared that the women were eating too much of another Med diet staple, olive oil, which may have been contributing to weight gain.