According to the Food and Nutrition Board and the Office of Dietary Supplements, the RDA for vitamins is as follows for different aged women:

The important points to keep in mind about vitamin intake are:

• Always have a balanced and healthful diet to fulfil vitamin needs rather than taking supplements as our bodies are designed to get vitamins from foods we eat. Supplements are bonus boosters not a replacement for food.

• In special cases based on women’s activity level, stage of life and overall health status, it may be necessary to take supplements. Such as pregnant women should supplement vitamin B12, Vitamin D and folate. Similarly, older women, vegans, those with digestive issues and athletes may need supplements.

• Consult your doctor to make a recommendation for the needed supplements and never start having yourself. Very physically active women, pregnant, breastfeeding and older ones must consult to include necessary extra requirements in the diet.

• While taking vitamin supplements, remember to take in the recommended level as more than that can be harmful and toxic in some cases or just excreted in the urine. Such as high amounts of vitamin A cause toxicity, nausea, dizziness, and even lead to coma and death. High vitamin E every day can cause bleeding.

• Vitamin supplements can interact with other medications or health conditions and cause harm, your doctor will check for these interactions and recommend accordingly.  Vitamin A lower blood pressure and taking it with medications that lower blood pressure can cause harm.

• Take the vitamin at an appropriate time. Vitamin D should be taken in the morning, if you take it in the evening, it clashes with your sleeping hormone melatonin production.

• Take the vitamin in the right form. Some forms of vitamin C can upset the stomach, so if you have digestive issues, you need vitamin C bound to a mineral such as calcium or magnesium ascorbate.

Vitamins work together for giving you a healthy life. Although their need change in different phases of life, always build your diet around these health-friendly nutrients if you wanna live happy and healthy throughout the lifespan as they can improve your mood and energy, boost fertility, combat stress or PMS, decrease disease risk, gives you a healthy pregnancy and ease menopausal symptoms.