By: Maggie McNamara – Marketing Director – Gencor.
We may have unlocked Pandora’s box by addressing women’s health throughout life. Dietary supplements can help women’s health throughout life. Women’s nutrient needs fluctuate with puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, lactation, and Menopause. Supplements can fill nutritional gaps and provide proper vitamin, mineral, and nutrient intake. Due to poor diet, restricted eating patterns, food intolerances, or medical issues, many women may suffer from vitamin deficiencies. Dietary supplements can correct these deficiencies and avoid health problems.
This article discusses new and effective ingredients that address women’s struggles through clinical research and published studies.
Gencor assists formulators with bioavailability, innovation, and female-centric studies by providing ingredients and delivery technologies for women across their lifespans.
PMS Support: Addressing Pain & Discomfort
Levagen®+ is a bioavailable Palmitoylethanolamide. The body produces PEA spontaneously in reaction to pain, inflammation, and stress. PEA levels drop after repeated pain, inflammation, or stress, requiring Levagen®+ to replenish natural stockpiles. PEA has been utilized in various controlled pain management studies as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory.1 PEA supplements are poorly absorbed. LipiSperse® technology makes Levagen®+ PEA superior. A bioavailability study found Levagen®+ 1.75 times more bioavailable than PEA.2 Several studies have shown that PEA and resveratrol reduce endometriosis discomfort in women.3-4
Menopause Support
The global postmenopausal population is rising. Globally, 26% of women and girls were over 50 in 2021. It rose from 22% a decade earlier. 5Additionally, women live longer. 2019, a 60-year-old woman worldwide may expect to live 21 years longer.6 Forbes predicts 1.1 billion postmenopausal women by 2025, with 6 million approaching Menopause each year.7 That’s a lot of prospective clients whose demands have been disregarded by the medical system and who can afford menopausal symptom alleviation products and services in the industrialized world. A Mayo Clinic research estimates that Menopause costs American women $1.8 billion in lost work time annually.8 Several research studies have reached results similar to those of the Mayo Clinic study.9 The findings highlight the medical, economic, and social issues women experience as they age, including debilitating bodily changes and the awkwardness of addressing Menopause with younger or male colleagues. This is a significant issue for menopausal women.
Symptoms of Menopause include hot flashes, mood swings, and sleep difficulties. Some women get relief from these symptoms with supplements.
Genopause®10-11 is a patented Ayurvedic botanical mix. Genopause® reduces hot flashes, nocturnal sweats, and sweating in studies. Other less discussed secondary objectives included completing more work, improving mood, patience, stamina, vaginal dryness, sleep, and intimacy avoidance compared to the placebo. *
Libifem®12 has been demonstrated to minimize menopause symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats and improve sexual experience, vigor, and desire. Libifem® is a revolutionary menopause treatment that boosts sexual desire, arousal, and activity. Libifem® decreased menopausal symptoms (hot flashes and night sweats) and enhanced cognition and stress in a 12-week study. *
Improved Physical Activity
Women often struggle with energy and vitality as they age, but some dietary supplements contain vitamins and minerals that boost energy and reduce weariness. Iron is needed for oxygen delivery and energy metabolism, and B vitamins transform food into energy. Additionally, Libifem® has been demonstrated to improve power, body composition, joint pain, stamina, and strength13. As an elite athlete or weekend warrior, Libifem® supports athletic women.
Iron Balance
Iron is essential for menstruation but a persistent difficulty for women.
Menstrual blood loss puts childbearing women at risk of iron shortage. Iron supplements can prevent or treat iron deficiency anemia, which causes fatigue, weakness, and other health difficulties.
HydroCurc® was tested with ferrous sulfate in three experiments. The first study found that FS with HydroCurc® raised ferritin levels by 58% in low-ferritin patients. The ferritin test measures your iron storage.14 Increased ferritin levels suggest higher iron absorption and storage. In the second research, high FS + HydroCurc®* demonstrated significant whole blood hemoglobin and transferrin saturation changes. Co-administering Curcumin with FS did not reduce iron absorption in healthy persons, as previously thought.15 Finally, HydroCurc® with Iron reduced systemic inflammation and oxidative stress markers* in the third research. Since iron is a prooxidant, it might induce gastrointestinal issues.16 These studies suggest that adding to iron supplementation may improve its advantages while reducing its adverse effects.
Heart Health
Cardiovascular health is a significant issue for women. Fish oil supplements contain omega-3 fatty acids, which lower triglycerides and promote cardiovascular function*. Omega-3 fatty acids like DHA and EPA are essential for brain function and suitable for pregnant and nursing women. In healthy people, AquaCelle® Omega-3 significantly increases eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid bioavailability*. AquaCelle®, a self-emulsifying drug delivery system (SEDDS), was tested to improve oral absorption of Omega-3 ethyl esters (EE) in healthy low-fat diet eaters. Formulating Omega-3 EE with a SEDSS concentrate (AquaCelle®) improved oral absorption without a high-fat meal.17
Women using dietary supplements alone seemed particularly dissatisfied with the menopausal counseling provided by a primary care provider, according to a study.18 Women are much more open to treating their life stage issues with dietary supplements – according to CNN Health, “Women used dietary supplements more than men.19“Gencor offers an abundance of support for women regardless of the stage of life they may be in. When formulating for success, it is suggested that we look at the underlying risk factors, biochemistry, and physiology and then pair these with the known mechanisms of action of these ingredients. This opens the door to incorporating multiple Gencor ingredients into what will be a creative and innovative formulation.
1 Passavanti, M.B., Alfieri, A., Pace, M.C. et al. Clinical applications of palmitoylethanolamide in pain management: protocol for a scoping review. Syst Rev 8, 9 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-018-0934-z.
2Rao, Amanda, Alistair Mallard, and David Briskey. ” Increased absorption of Palmitoylethanolamide using a Novel Dispersion Technology System (LipiSperse®)” Journal of Nutraceuticals and Food Science (2019)
3Cobellis, Luigi, et al. “Effectiveness of the association micronized N-Palmitoylethanolamine (PEA)–transpolydatin in the treatment of chronic pelvic pain related to endometriosis after laparoscopic assessment: a pilot study.” European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology 158.1 (2011): 82-86.
4Indraccolo, Ugo, Salvatore Renato Indraccolo, and Fiorenzo Mignini. “Micronized palmitoylethanolamide/trans-polydatin treatment of endometriosis-related pain: a meta-analysis.” Annali dell’Istituto superiore di sanita 53.2 (2017): 125-134.
5United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (2021) World Prospects 2021. https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
6United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2019). World Population Ageing 2019: Highlights (ST/ESA/SER.A/430). https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/ageing/WorldPopulationAgeing2019-Highlights.pdf
8https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/pb-assets/Health%20Advance/journals/jmcp/JMCP4097_proof.pdf
9Keshishian A, Wang Y, Xie L, Baser O. The economic impact of symptomatic menopause among low-socioeconomic women in the United States. Expert Rev Pharmacoecon Outcomes Res. 2016;16(2):305-13. doi: 10.1586/14737167.2015.1073589. Epub 2015 Aug 2. PMID: 26289732.
10Steels, Elizabeth, et al. “A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial evaluating safety and efficacy of an ayurvedic botanical formulation in reducing menopausal symptoms in otherwise healthy women.” Journal of Herbal Medicine 11 (2018): 30-35.
11Steels, E., Steele, M., Harold, M., Adams, L. & Coulson, S. “A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial evaluating safety and efficacy of an ayurvedic botanical formulation in reducing menopausal symptoms in otherwise healthy women.” 2018, Journal of Herbal Medicine.
12Rao, Amanda, et al. “Influence of a specialized Trigonella foenum‐graecum seed extract (libifem), on testosterone, estradiol and sexual function in healthy menstruating women, a randomized placebo-controlled study.” Phytotherapy Research 29.8 (2015): 1123-1130
13Rao, et al (2023) Libifem® (Trigonella foenum-graecum) in conjunction with exercise on muscle strength, power, endurance, and body composition in females aged between 25 and 45 years. Front. Sports Act. Living. Volume 5 – 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2023.1207013
14Tiekou Lorinczova, H.; Fitzsimons, O.; Mursaleen, L.; Renshaw, D.; Begum, G.; Zariwala, M.G. Co-Administration of Iron and a Bioavailable Curcumin Supplement Increases Serum BDNF Levels in Healthy Adults. Antioxidants 2020, 9, 645. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox9080645
15Lorinczova, H.T.; Begum, G.; Renshaw, D.; Zariwala, M.G. Acute Administration of Bioavailable Curcumin Alongside Ferrous Sulphate Supplements Does Not Impair Iron Absorption in Healthy Adults in a Randomised Trial. Nutrients 2021, 13, 2300. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13072300
16Tiekou Lorinczova, H.; Begum, G.; Temouri, L.; Renshaw, D.; Zariwala, M.G. Co-Administration of Iron and Bioavailable Curcumin Reduces Levels of Systemic Markers of Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in a Placebo-Controlled Randomised Study. Nutrients 2022, 14, 712. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14030712
17Bremmell, K.E., Briskey, D., Meola, T.R. et al. A self-emulsifying Omega-3 ethyl ester formulation (AquaCelle) significantly improves eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid bioavailability in healthy adults. Eur J Nutr 59, 2729–2737 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-019-02118-x
18Kam IW, Dennehy CE, Tsourounis C. Dietary supplement use among menopausal women attending a San Francisco health conference. Menopause. 2002 Jan-Feb;9(1):72-8. doi: 10.1097/00042192-200201000-00011. PMID: 11791089.
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