Collection: WOMEN'S HEALTH SUPPORT

The trace mineral boron, often overlooked and little-known in the medical field, plays a vitally important role in a multitude of human metabolic processes.  The existence of boron, in fact, may be essential to the possibility of life on earth. 

Specifically, boron reduces the loss of calcium and magnesium via urinary excretion, helps maintain vitamin D in the body, and is essential for bone growth and the maintenance of bone mass. 

Another way that boron helps to maintain bone mass is by up-regulating the sex hormones.  In women, correcting a boron deficiency significantly increases levels of estradiol and testosterone.  In peri-menopausal and post-menopausal women, boron's ability to increase these sex hormones may also alleviate the symptoms such as flushing and night sweats that are associated with these conditions.

Mean boron intake is estimated in the U.S. to be 1.7 to 7.0 mg/day; but in the EU to be only 0.8 to 1.9 mg/day.  Modern agriculture, with its reliance on chemical fertilizers, has depleted and inhibited the uptake of boron and other essential minerals from the soil.  People are getting much less boron from food now than we were 50 or 100 years ago.

Choline is another essential nutrient for human life.  It prevents birth defects; is critical in neurological development; prevents fatty liver disease; and is necessary for the epigenetic expression and regulation of our genes.  Choline can be made in small amounts in our bodies, but to receive an adequate amount, it must be gotten from exogenous sources, i.e. via food or supplements.  The European Food Safety Authority set dietary recommendations for choline in 2016.

Most pregnant women in the U.S. do not get the recommended amount of choline, and would likely benefit from boosting their choline intake through diet or supplements.  And because of choline's role in facilitating the export of fats from the liver, it would likely also aid in preventing and clearing clogged mammary ducts in breast feeding.

The omega-3 fatty acids (FA) are an essential group of nutrients that must be obtained from the diet.  The liver can convert the omega-3 FA alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) -- found in seeds, nuts and vegetable oils -- into eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and from EPA into docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), but only very inefficiently. 

The best dietary sources of EPA and DHA are oily fish such as salmon, sardines and mackerel, or algae and plankton.  In the US and in many parts of the EU, however, the most prevalent dietary form of omega-3 FAs is ALA; DHA and EPA are consumed in insufficient amounts.

DHA and EPA have been shown in studies to have numerous beneficial effects with regard to cognitive and visual function, and in depression.

Because of the importance of EPA and DHA in cognitive and visual development, many public health agencies and medical societies recommend EPA and DHA intake for pregnant or lactating women.

Despite these recommendations, consumption of omega-3 fatty acids remains low in the US, particularly in child-bearing-age, pregnant and lactating women.

Iron supplements are often needed to help treat the anemia caused by heavy menstruation.  However, most iron supplements cause constipation or other gastrointestinal upset because of poor absorption.  The iron supplement that we carry, however, contains Ferrochel®, a patented, chelated form of iron -- i.e. one that is bound to an amino acid -- that is readily absorbed and is more bioavailable than other forms of iron.  As such, it will not cause constipation or the other gastrointestinal issues that are common with other forms of iron supplements.

L-carnitine is a conditionally necessary amino acid, whose function is to transport fatty acids into mitochrondria so that they can be converted into energy.  The body can make small amounts of l-carnitine, but it must be obtained in the diet.  The most abundant source of l-carnitine is red meat.

L-carnitine has numerous beneficial health effects: 

• cardioprotective in a setting of acute myocardial infarction;
• neuroprotective in cerebrovascular ischemia;
• anti-atherosclerotic;
• antioxidant;
• anti-inflammatory;
• anti-insulin resistance;
• reduces fatty liver;
• reduces body weight and body fat percentage;
• reduces circulating triglycerides