Though every person has different health risks, your gender heavily influences yours. For example, women are at a greater risk of conditions including osteoporosis, stroke and migraines. During different life stages, women may also face a higher probability of developing iodine deficiency, metabolic syndrome, or other ailments which can impact quality of life.
Of course, none of these disorders are inevitable. The actions women take today to improve their nutrition, fitness and hygiene can considerably reduce the risk of a range of conditions in the future.
As with most health benefits, we’re always eager to explore the ways in which nutrition can help women avoid serious medical conditions. Supplements for women’s health can achieve greater outcomes when they have the right ingredients. Here’s what research has to say about how consuming seaweed or ingesting its many extracts can help lower the risk of various diseases or disorders.
Weight Management
Men and women store and metabolize fat differently. In general, healthy women should have no less than 10% body fat while men only need 2%. Biologically, this is so women have the fat reserves necessary to care for a growing baby during their pregnancy, but it’s less than desirable when women want to avoid weight-related diseases.
The CDC’s last study found more than two in three women in the United States are overweight or obese. Beyond limiting the quality of life today, this excess fat can result in heart disease, cancer and diabetes down the road.
One treatment that is increasingly helpful to weight loss is the use of seaweed dietary supplements. Studies have shown supplements for women’s health made with polysaccharides from brown seaweeds reduced body weight, liver fat content and even waistlines among the women participating in the studies.
Iodine Deficiencies during Pregnancy
The benefits of iodine are deep and diverse, but this trace element is crucial when regulating the thyroid gland. For pregnant women, this is particularly important, because thyroid health contributes to the development of babies’ brain and nervous system. Owing to this and other factors, pregnant women need to ingest more iodine during the course of gestation. For those people with compromised thyroid function, a doctor should be consulted before consuming a seaweed supplement for iodine.
Seaweed can be an excellent source of this added iodine. Ascophyllum nodosum, fucus vesiculosus and other seaweed species contain an ample amount of this trace element per gram. With only a small dosage, women can get close to, if not all, the iodine they need.
Metabolic Syndrome in Postmenopausal Women
Mature women struggle with a different set of health issues. As their estrogen production dwindles, women start to lose bone density and struggle with other conditions stemming from this hormone shortage. One common risk is metabolic syndrome, which can occur through a combination of the conditions from large waistlines and high blood pressure to elevated blood sugar levels and triglycerides. These can result in a greater risk of diabetes, heart disease and other health issues.
Seaweed might offer a solution to women to prevent this disorder. Studies of 2,588 postmenopausal women 40 and older showed an inverse relation to metabolic syndrome occurrence when they consumed dietary iodine and seaweed. Blood glucose, blood pressure and lipid profiles were significantly lower for the women who obtained enough iodine compared to those who didn’t.
Keeping Women Healthy Holistically
Though health and wellness are personal, supplements for women’s health made from the right seaweed can help prevent persistent problems. This marine resource provides the body with bioactive compounds capable of helping women live their best lives, no matter what stage they’re at.
Are you looking for the right ingredients for your health supplement? Find out how seaweed can contribute to women’s health, inside and out.
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