Women are different
Women
are different from men in many ways. As such it's logical to
assume that there would be some differences in their nutritional
supplement requirements. The obvious differences between the
sexes are due to the differences in reproductive functions and
the hormonal levels. Fluctuations in gonadal hormone levels
during the menstrual cycle may affect various aspects of performance
and competition.
Metabolic
differences
There
also seem to be differences in a variety of metabolic processes
that merit special considerations when dealing with the merits
of various nutritional supplement ingredients
and formulations.
 For
example it's been shown that women are more efficient fat oxidizers
than men and as such may be more suited to endurance type of
exercise and sports events. In one study it was found that during
exercise, women derived proportionally more of the total energy
expended from fat oxidation whereas men derived proportionally
more energy from carbohydrate oxidation.i
Women
also have lower total body water content than men of comparable
size, making it important to look at various factors involved
in dehydration and rehydration. Other differences include postural
and skeletal considerations.
Women
use nutritional supplements less but need them more
Women in general tend not to use as many supplements as men.
For example one recent study found that creatine supplements
are not popular in women.ii In
the population of collegiate athletes questioned, creatine
use was widespread among men but was minimal among women.
Although women tend not to use nutritional supplements as
much as men, they may well need them more.
In
one study a computer analysis of diet records was used to
compare adequacy of nutrient intake for 16 male and 10 female
intercollegiate basketball players.iii
The results showed that the women took in much less nutrients
than the men mainly because the men took in more food and
twice the calories. The nutrient intake was evened off when
the women took nutritional supplements.
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i (Tracy J. Horton TJ, Pagliassotti MJ, et
al. Fuel metabolism in men and women during and after long-duration
exercise. JAP Vol. 85, Issue 5, 1823-1832, November 1998.)
ii
(LaBotz M, Smith BW. Creatine supplement use in an NCAA Division
I athletic program. Clin J Sport Med 1999 Jul;9(3):167-9.)
iii
(Nowak RK, Knudsen KS, Schulz LO. Body composition and nutrient
intakes of college men and women basketball players. J Am
Diet Assoc 1988 May;88(5):575-8.)
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Dr. Di Pasquale is a licensed physician in Ontario, Canada, focusing on Nutrition and Sports Medicine, as well as a world class athlete for over twenty years... [more]
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