Have you ever thought why this is true? It has been true for a very long time.On average women now live longer than men by five years. It used to be seven - the gap is closing , maybe because men look after themselves better now.

What is the role ofwomen vitamins in all this ? Why not talk of men vitamins or indeed unisex vitamins! The truth is of course that women face dramatic events during their lifetime in which the body has to adapt to quite radical changes and the women will need vitamins to compensate for these changes unless they have a perfectly well balanced diet ! Women vitamins are like the sunshade in the photo.

Take menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth and menopause and you begin to think of major upheavals. But these can be beneficial. Actually the loss of iron through menstruation is a distinct advantage in the long term ! While it may lead to anemia in the short term- it is a protective element in that too much iron can contribute to free radicals and the aging of cells in the long term. Another reason is that women have two X chromosones while men have an X and a Y - this is another advantage for women.

Think of Vitamin B and think of brain and bones ! Osteoporosis (the weakening of bones leading to brittleness and a higher risk of fractures) is a consequence of the menopause. Vitamins D, K and B are all essential elements to help strengthen the bones at this critical time. Getting enough sunlight is imperativefor the process of fixing Vitamin D in the body and there is much debate about the right quantity and frequency fo exposure to sunlight.

Latest news about Vitamin D suggests that after some research (the Harvard Medical School ), it was found that a much higher dose of Vitamin D reduced the risk of getting cancer, by as much as 60%. More research needs to be done on this. Normally about 300 IUs is the optimum dose and RDA for Vitamin D but in the research project, much higher doses (over 1,000 IUs)were being used on the women who participated in the study. If you are thinking of raising your Vitamin D intake (maximum of 2,000 IUs would be the limit), talk to your doctor .

As meat contains Vitammin B12, there has been much talk in the press recently about research that says that lack of this magical vitamin could lead to neurological disorders such as senile dementia and Alzheimers caused by brain shrinkage. One of the experts of recent research said :- "Many factors that affect brain health are thought to be out of our control, but this study suggests that simply adjusting our diets to consume more vitamin B12 through eating meat, fish, fortified cereals or milk may be something we can easily adjust to prevent brain shrinkage and so perhaps save our memory... vitamin B12 deficiency is a public health problem, especially among the elderly, so more vitamin B12 intake could help reverse this problem."