According to the research funded by AG1, the powdered greens supplement brand, physically active women consistently fall between the micronutrient gap.
“Female participants demonstrated lower median intakes than male participants for sixteen of seventeen evaluated vitamins and minerals, as well as lower relative intakes for fourteen of seventeen micronutrients,” wrote the researchers in the United States, some of whom are employed by AG1.
Gender differences in vitamin and mineral intake among active adults
A recent global analysis found that more than 5 billion people fail to meet requirements for iodine, vitamin E, and calcium, and over four billion under consume iron, riboflavin, folate, and vitamin C. Women were found to experience larger shortfalls in iodine, vitamin B12, iron, selenium, calcium, riboflavin, and folate, while men show poorer intakes of magnesium, vitamin B6, zinc, vitamins A and C, thiamine, and niacin.
These essential micronutrients play critical roles in energy metabolism, immune function, and antioxidant defense, and when intake remains inadequate over time, deficiencies can impair health, performance, and quality of life and increase risks such as anemia, fractures, and infections.
Researchers define a “nutrient gap” as the difference between recommended and actual intake, often using the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) established by the Institute of Medicine.
Existing global and national surveys confirm widespread nutrient gaps, but they provide limited insight into specific subpopulations, the researchers noted. Exercising adults may face higher micronutrient needs because physical activity stresses metabolic pathways, and some individuals further increase risk by restricting food intake or avoiding certain food groups.
The researchers noted that the new analysis aimed to assess micronutrient gaps in healthy, physically active adults and to determine whether these gaps differ between women and men.
Micronutrient gaps in physically active adults
The researchers pooled data from five prior independent studies of healthy, physically active adults in Texas between 2019 and 2024. All 226 participants (154 women, 72 men) involved reported dietary intake through a National Institutes of Health-designed recall tool, which captured nutrient intake from both foods and supplements. The researchers compared vitamin and mineral intakes with EAR values and calculated nutrient gap scores.
Results showed that vitamin inadequacy was common across the board, with the proportion of intake below the EAR ranging from 7% for niacin to over 90% for vitamin D. Women showed median intakes below the EAR for vitamin D and vitamin E, while men showed median intakes below the EAR only for vitamin D. Men were found to consume significantly higher absolute and relative amounts of nearly all vitamins compared with women.
Mineral intakes showed fewer gaps overall but remained substantial for some nutrients. Magnesium emerged as the most common mineral shortfall, affecting up to half of participants. Women showed particularly high rates of inadequate calcium and magnesium intake, while men generally met EAR values for most minerals, though many still fell below the EAR for magnesium. Men consumed higher mineral intakes than women for nearly all minerals.
The researchers noted that active female participants had similar or higher rates of inadequate intake for many micronutrients, including folate, iron and several B vitamins, compared with national survey data. They noted this could be due to dietary restriction, which occurs more frequently in athletes—particularly female athletes—and can lead to low energy availability and micronutrient deficiencies. Female participants in this study also reported lower total energy intake than males.
“The overlap between nutrients of concern and low observed intakes in the present analyses is noteworthy and provides a rationale for implementing more targeted prospective interventions to evaluate and improve micronutrient status in exercising adults,” the researchers concluded.
Key Takeaways
– Healthy, exercising adults often lack key micronutrients such as vitamin D, vitamin E, calcium, and magnesium, with women facing the highest risk of deficiencies.
– AG1-funded research highlights that physically active women consistently show lower median intakes than men for most vitamins and minerals.
– Women showed higher rates of inadequate calcium and magnesium intake, while men generally met EAR values for most minerals but fell short on magnesium.
– Dietary restriction, more prevalent among female athletes, may contribute to low energy availability and micronutrient deficiencies.
Source: Journal of Nutritional Science. doi: 10.1017/jns.2025.10070. “Sex differences in nutrient gaps among active adults“. Authors: G.M. Tinsley, et al.
