If you’ve ever stood in the vitamins aisle of your local pharmacy wondering which ones to reach for, we hear you: it’s a confusing place to be. While vitamins and minerals are crucial to our daily wellbeing and health needs, it can be all too overwhelming navigating a wide and varied world of options. This is even more true for menopausal women. With changing health needs, what, exactly, are you looking for?
It’s time to skip out on the overwhelm and make the most of targeted vitamins that can give your body a huge boost in support throughout its menopausal journey. Today, we’re taking a look at vitamins b6 and b12 in particular, examining the role they play in supporting menopausal wellbeing.
What is vitamin B6?
First up on our list is vitamin B6. This vitamin plays a key role in healthy brain development, and provides ongoing support to our nervous system and immune system. While we can generally access vitamin B6 in a wide range of food sources, for some of us, taking vitamin B6 as a supplement is a sure-fire way to make sure they’re getting the nutrients they need on a daily basis.
If you have a kidney disease, or some other form of disease that keeps your small intestine from absorbing nutrients in the food you eat, you may experience a vitamin B6 deficiency as a result, making it even more important to seek additional supplementation elsewhere.
The functions vitamin B6 provides are highly important throughout menopause, when hormonal changes can wreak havoc with neurotransmitter levels, which vitamin B6 helps to protect. As a result, mood swings, depression, and anxiety can become more common. Vitamin B6 is necessary for the production of serotonin and dopamine, which are neurotransmitters dedicated to regulating our moods and stabilising our emotions. Without the support vitamin B6 provides, these can start to malfunction. Women in the midst of menopause can reduce this risk by making sure they’re taking in enough vitamin B6 in their daily nutrients, using supplements to manage and regulate this key source of support in an easy and accessible manner.
Find the personalised support you need to protect your health during menopause at the Australian Menopause Centre.
Why is vitamin B12 useful during menopause?
Alongside the valuable support offered by vitamin B6 during menopause, vitamin B12 needs to take centre stage in the vitamin supplement line-up. This water-soluble vitamin supports all kinds of bodily functions, including red blood cell formation and neurological function. Vitamin B12 is critical in maintaining energy levels (through supporting the body’s food conversion processes) and cognitive health, both of which can come under fire during menopause as a result of its ongoing changes.
For many women navigating menopause, fatigue is a common – and consuming – challenge. Struggling to make it through the work day without a nap? You can thank menopause for that. So many changes taking place all at once can mean regular energy levels are dipping or fluctuating extremely, making it much harder to meet the demands of everyday life.
Bone health is also a common concern during menopause, which increases the risk of osteoporosis as a side effect of reduced hormone production. Vitamin B12 is a reliable source of support for bone health, helping to offset some of the impacts menopause has on bone density and the risk of fractures.
Importantly, vitamin B12 can also provide significant support in the battle against heart disease. Since cardiovascular health can come under fire during menopause (with increasing risks of heart disease), vitamin B12 can help to lower associated risks through its lowering of homocysteine, an amino acid that can contribute to heart disease development.
Vitamins b6 and b12: a winning combination
On their own, both vitamins b6 and b12 are wonderful sources of support throughout menopause – but together, their combined effects can result in enhanced and powerful benefits. Since these two vitamins work together across a range of biochemical pathways, taking them in parallel can lead to noticeable increases in overall health and wellbeing, as well as helping to mitigate many of the symptoms that menopause brings with it.
You’re likely to notice their combined impact in areas such as:
- Improvements to mood and cognitive function. Since both vitamins help to synthesise transmitters responsible for regulating mood and cognitive processes, you can look out for improvements to your mental clarity, reductions in the risk of depression, and overall improvements to your cognitive functioning.
- Higher energy levels and a more powerful metabolism. Both vitamins also play important roles in supporting daily energy levels and the wellbeing of your metabolism. By taking both vitamins, you can fight against menopause-related fatigue and give your body the necessary support it needs to convert carbohydrates into glucose, fuelling the body’s energy sources.
- Better cardiovascular health. With both vitamins working together to reduce the risk of heart disease, taking these in supplement form is one easy way you can support your heart health throughout the unknowns menopause brings.
What’s the best way to take vitamin B6 and b12?
If you’re new to the world of vitamins, odds are high you’re already receiving some of these necessary nutrients in your daily diet, with a wide range of whole foods providing natural vitamin sources. During menopause, however, it becomes increasingly important to meet your ongoing nutrient requirements. This is where supplements can come in handy. Rather than relying on a fluctuating diet, you can rest assured in knowing you’re getting the vitamins you need in one easy daily dose.
Before taking new supplements, it’s important to speak with your healthcare provider, making sure you’re considering your individual health needs.
Conclusion
While menopause brings all kinds of challenges to our health and wellbeing with it, there’s no shortage of options when it comes to arming our bodies with the resources they need for sustained health and longevity. Vitamins can play a key role in giving us a reliable source of these nutrients throughout this season of change. For more support in every area of your menopausal health, contact the Australian Menopause Centre to learn more about holistic, personalised treatment plans for every stage of your menopausal journey.
About The Author - AMC Team
Our team consists of doctors, nurses, program assistants, naturopaths and nutritionists that join their wealth of knowledge to offer our patients and website visitors interesting and insightful articles to assist you understand the symptoms you are experiencing and how to relieve them.