19.5: The Adult Years
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)The general dietary principles that apply during childhood extend into adulthood. But because growth has stopped, it’s no longer a factor in determining nutrient need. For men, nutrient needs throughout adulthood vary relatively little—they are based mostly on body size and the amount of physical activity.
In contrast, the nutrient needs of women vary considerably during adulthood, mainly because of childbearing. As discussed earlier, menstruation, pregnancy, and lactation increase nutrient requirements, making women more vulnerable to developing deficiencies.
Women need a more nutrient-dense diet than men. Compared to men, they need fewer calories because they are smaller and are, on average, less physically active. Women also go on low-calorie reducing diets more often. Furthermore, young women are the prime candidates for the eating disorders anorexia nervosa and bulimia (see Chap. 3), which can cause severe malnutrition.
Women’s Special Needs
Nutrients and the Menstrual Cycle
The main nutritional concern with menstruation is the increased need for iron, because iron is lost in menstrual blood losses (see Fig. 19-7). The increased iron requirement of menstruating women and the iron-deficiency anemia that can result were discussed in Chapter 17. The iron RDA of menstruating women is more than twice that of men of comparable ages. At menopause, the iron RDA drops to that of men.
The menstrual cycle also affects caloric needs. A woman’s basic caloric requirement starts to rise around the time of ovulation, and peaks just before or at the beginning of menstruation, whereupon it falls and remains at that lower level until mid-cycle when ovulation occurs again.
The fluctuation in the body’s baseline energy need is reflected in a fluctuation of body temperature. A woman can find out when she ovulates by taking her temperature upon awakening every morning (before getting out of bed) and looking for the rise in body temperature associated with ovulation.
A woman’s appetite often reflects these cyclic changes. Many find that they are hungrier and eat more during the last part of their menstrual cycle, and that their appetite lessens and they eat less when menstruation begins. Body water also fluctuates during the cycle, generally paralleling the fluctuation in basic calorie needs.
Thus, women shouldn’t be unduly concerned with increased appetite and weight late in the cycle. The increased hunger is from the body’s increased use of calories, and the extra water will be lost early in the following cycle.
Figure 19-7: Iron (Fe) is an integral part of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells.