Our vitamin needs evolve throughout our lives, from the period of rapid growth in childhood to the point when our bodies stop absorbing and producing certain nutrients as we age. There are different times when we’re more vulnerable to deficiencies.

Many of us have been taking vitamins our whole lives — from the chalky Flintstone tablets to something a little more grown up, like a gummy vitamin. Most people typically get all the vitamins and minerals they need from their diet, but there are times when food isn’t enough and vitamin supplements are necessary to help fill the gaps.

Determining when to start and how many vitamins to take can be difficult. Let’s dig into vitamins recommendations for each age group.

What are vitamins? Why are they important?

Our bodies need vitamins for development and proper functioning. Most of the vitamins our bodies depend on come from our food. That means that the average American won’t need to take vitamin supplements if they eat a healthy, balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, proteins and whole grains.

However, that’s not always the case. There are times when vitamin or mineral supplements are necessary. Dietary limitations or natural deficiencies can keep you from getting enough of certain vitamins. iron, vitamin D, B12 and calcium are among the most common vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Unless you take an at-home test or get a blood analysis from your doctor, you don’t know if you lack vitamins, making it harder to know when to

Women in leadership roles are leaving their jobs in search of better opportunities and increased flexibility, according to a new report, and that could spell good news for the women and bad news for the companies they’re leaving behind.

What’s more, the women are exiting at a higher rate than their male counterparts, according to the latest iteration of Women in the Workplacean annual report from consultancy firm McKinsey & Company and women’s advocacy nonprofit LeanIn.org, out Tuesday.

This trend marks a shift in how some women leaders may be approaching their careers. Following a tumultuous few years in which women reported heightened burnout owing to pandemic stresses and a lopsided work/life balance, and in which one in four women were considering downshifting or leaving work altogether, many are reigniting their professional ambitions.

This shift also follows a larger cultural moment — the so-called Great Resignation, where workers started leaving jobs in droves in 2021 to pursue positions better suited to them. In November 2021, 4.5 million people left their jobs, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“Women are saying, ‘I’ve survived, but I also wanted to thrive,'” said Lareina Yee, a senior partner at McKinsey and one of the report’s authors.

The report, in its eighth year, includes survey data from more than 41,000 employees in the US across about 20