Micronutrients for women: vitamins and minerals that matter
A clear guide to micronutrients for women. What vitamins and minerals do, which gaps are most common in women, and how to get them from food before supplements.
Reviewed by Emma Carter, Senior Health & Nutrition Editor
Micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals your body needs in tiny amounts but cannot do without. They provide no calories, yet they run thousands of behind-the-scenes processes. For women, a handful are worth paying attention to, because the most common gaps line up with specific life stages and diets.
What micronutrients are
Nutrition splits into two groups. Macronutrients (protein, fat and carbohydrate) give you energy and make up the bulk of what you eat. Micronutrients, the vitamins and minerals, are needed in far smaller amounts and provide no energy, but they enable the reactions that keep everything running.
Vitamins are organic compounds, split into two types:
- Fat-soluble (A, D, E and K), which dissolve in fat and can be stored in the body
- Water-soluble (vitamin C and the B vitamins, including B12 and folate), which are not stored and need topping up regularly
Minerals, such as iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc and iodine, are inorganic elements that come from soil and water and reach you through food.
The gaps most common in women
A few micronutrients stand out because women are more likely to run low on them.
| Nutrient | Why women run low | Where to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Iron | Lost through periods | Red meat, beans, lentils, leafy greens (with vitamin C) |
| Vitamin D | Made from sunlight, little in food | Oily fish, egg yolks, fortified foods, a winter supplement |
| Vitamin B12 | Mainly in animal foods | Meat, fish, dairy, eggs, or fortified foods and a supplement if plant-based |
| Calcium | Higher need after menopause | Dairy, fortified milks, canned fish with bones, tofu |
| Folate | Matters before and in early pregnancy | Leafy greens, beans, citrus, plus folic acid if you could conceive |
Low ferritin is a frequent cause of fatigue and hair loss, and B12 shortfalls are common in vegetarians, vegans and older women. Iodine and magnesium intakes can also fall short depending on your diet.
Food first
A diet built on vegetables, fruit, whole grains, good protein and healthy fats delivers most micronutrients without much effort. Variety does the work, since different foods carry different nutrients:
- Colorful vegetables and fruit for vitamin C, folate and potassium
- Whole grains, beans and nuts for magnesium, zinc and B vitamins
- Dairy or fortified alternatives for calcium and, often, vitamin D
- Oily fish, eggs and lean meat for B12, iron and omega-3
Some nutrients absorb better together. Pairing plant iron with vitamin C, for example, improves how much you take up.
Where supplements fit
For most healthy women, a daily multivitamin is not necessary and does not make up for a poor diet. The largest trial to test this, COSMOS, randomized 21,442 older adults and found no effect on total cancer, cardiovascular events or all-cause mortality, concluding the findings do not support regular multivitamin use for prevention in generally healthy people (Am J Clin Nutr, 2022). It has a place in specific situations: pregnancy or planning it, a vegan diet needing B12, a diagnosed deficiency, or limited sun calling for vitamin D. In these cases, targeting the specific nutrient you are short of usually beats a broad multivitamin.
More is not automatically better. Fat-soluble vitamins and minerals like iron can build up and cause harm at high doses, almost always from supplements rather than food. That is the case for treating a known gap rather than taking large doses of everything just in case.
When to see a doctor
See your doctor if you have symptoms that suggest a deficiency, such as ongoing tiredness, hair loss or frequent infections, follow a restricted diet, or are pregnant or planning to be. A simple blood test can confirm a real gap so any supplement is aimed at a need rather than a guess.
Frequently asked questions
What are micronutrients?
Micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals your body needs in small amounts to work properly. Unlike macronutrients (protein, fat and carbohydrate), they provide no energy, but they run thousands of processes from making red blood cells to supporting bones, nerves and immunity. Your body cannot make most of them, so they must come from food.
Which micronutrients are women most likely to be low in?
The most common gaps in women are iron, vitamin D, vitamin B12 (especially in vegetarians, vegans and older women), calcium, and folate for those who could become pregnant. Iodine and magnesium intakes can also fall short depending on diet.
Do I need a multivitamin?
For most healthy women eating a varied diet, a multivitamin is not necessary and does not replace good eating. It can be sensible in specific situations, such as pregnancy, a restricted diet, or a diagnosed deficiency. Targeting a known gap usually beats a broad multivitamin.
Can you get too much of a micronutrient?
Yes. Fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K and some minerals like iron can build up and cause harm at high doses, mostly from supplements rather than food. More is not better, which is why supplementing a specific need beats taking large doses of everything.
References
- Multivitamins in the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease: the COSMOS randomized clinical trial · American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2022
- Vitamins and minerals · Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, The Nutrition Source
- Should I take a daily multivitamin? · Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, The Nutrition Source