We all understand the value of starting healthy habits early in life - things like regular vigorous exercise, eating a balanced diet, and taking “me time”.

ChickAdvisor recently had the opportunity to chat with Dr. Mehmet Oz, host of the Emmy award-winning Dr. Oz Show (now in its 3rd season), about some of the other important health issues women should pay attention to now in order to support your health in later life.

Start Osteoporosis prevention now

Osteoporosis begins in your 20s, and it’s driven in large part by three factors:

1) Alcohol consumption: 
Alcohol can have negative effects on your bones, and since women lack a certain enzyme in their stomachs that digests alcohol, all of the alcohol a woman drinks is released into her bloodstream (compared to about 50% that enters a man’s bloodstream because they do have the enzyme). Women should limit their alcohol consumption to 1 drink per day.

2) Vitamin D deficiency: 
We’re spending more time indoors and doing a better job of using sunscreen regularly, but that actually reduces our levels of Vitamin D (because Vitamin D is produced by our skin when in contact with direct sunlight) which is necessary to help absorb calcium from our diet.  Women should take a daily vitamin supplement and/or get regular, safe levels of sun exposure.

3) Smoking:
Cigarette use has obvious health risks including bone health.  Quit now and seek medical support: your chances of successfully kicking the habit go up to 50% compared to just 5% without support.

Take care of your Fertility even if pregnancy is not in the plan

You may not be ready to become a mother yet, and you may be among those who never wish to be.  However, 50% of all pregnancies are unplanned and by the time you realize you are pregnant, you may have already exposed your unborn child to a poor nutritious background. 

As long as you are fertile and sexually active you can become pregnant, so it is important to take a prenatal vitamin daily to give any unplanned pregnancy the best possible start.

Monitor your Hormone and Thyroid levels

Many chronic ailments are driven by hormone abnormalities, so women should have their thyroids checked by their mid-30s or earlier.  Emotional problems may be associated with low progesterone, and low testosterone (yes, women have testosterone!) can cause poor libido (sex drive) - to name just two.

Use Anti-Depressants wisely

Setbacks in life are a call to action to change - change your relationships, change your connections, change your job.  Medicating can numb you to this pain instead of forcing you to make the necessary decisions you need to improve your life. 

Talk therapy with a professional or a family member can be more therapeutic because humans rely on a social fabric to support us in times of need; our ability to form networks is what has kept our species thriving through known history, and many people don’t feel connected today. 


A big thank you to Dr. Oz for taking time to answer our questions, even though the computer misspelled my name as "Carrot" in the interview transcript.  On the plus side, carrots are also very very good for your health.

BONUS: Dr. Oz also shared his thoughts on fasting and diet cleanses - read his tips here.

What health advice have you recently received that was new to you?  Please share your experiences in the comments!

*all information used in this post was adapted from our interview with Dr. Oz except where noted