While a healthy, well-rounded diet should give us the nutrition we need, dietary supplements can help us get the right amount of specific, essential nutrients. As we age, here are the six powerful vitamins you should consider taking:
Multi-Vitamin
Research has not definitively proven that multivitamins help you stay healthier longer, but they do fill in the nutrient gaps that we might not even be aware of in our daily routine. Make sure to choose a multivitamin for seniors. A few well-tested ones are:
- 2nd Springs Women’s Daily 7 Essentials
- Ritual Essential for Women Multi 50+
- Thorne Women’s Multi 50+
- Centrum Silver
- Equate Mature Vitamin 50+
- Nature Made Multi for Her Softgels
Vitamin D
Vitamin D, made by the body from sunshine, is critical to our health because it is needed to absorb calcium. It helps bone health and reduces the risk of heart attack, stroke, asthma, and inflammation, along with a host of other ailments, making vitamin D a very powerful vitamin.
Inadequate vitamin D levels cause the body to take calcium from our bones, weakening them and affecting future bone development. Because bone loss accelerates with the loss of estrogen as women age, they are even more vulnerable to vitamin D deficiencies.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommendation is 600 IU (international unit) of vitamin D for adults over age 50, going to 800 IU for age 70+. Research is now showing that having vitamin K2 along with vitamin D is beneficial for helping the calcifications of our bones but not soft organs. Good food sources include tuna, mackerel, beef liver, cheese, egg yolks, and vitamin D-fortified milk.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient that helps keep the body’s nerve and blood cells healthy and makes DNA. It is vital for maintaining the energy needed for our active lifestyles. B12 also reduces the risk of heart disease by dampening homocysteine levels. Even minor deficiencies may put us at risk for cognitive decline.
Increasing age makes it harder to absorb the nutrients from food, which taking supplements can solve. Supplements should provide at least 2.4 micrograms daily. Good food sources of vitamin B12 are whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fortified cereals, meats, low-fat dairy, and fish.
Calcium
Your entire skeleton is replaced about every ten years by your body reabsorbing old bone while creating new. If you don’t get enough calcium in your diet or absorb it properly, you may not have enough healthy new bone. In general, bone density decreases with age, especially for women, making us more vulnerable to injuries. Calcium is a potent vitamin that is also necessary for good heart, muscle, and nerve health.
Highly absorbable calcium citrate is the best supplement choice, but also make sure to get the right amount of vitamin D, which aids in calcium absorption. Stick with the recommended daily allowance (1200 mg), as too much calcium has been shown to increase stroke risk and kidney stones. Calcium is a bulky supplement and is generally not found in sufficient quantities in multivitamins. Food high in calcium includes dairy products like milk, yogurt, and cheese, as well as kale, collard greens, almonds, sardines, edamame, and tofu.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Comprised of two essential fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids, omega-3 acids are crucial for maintaining health as we age. So much so that a European study found that if everyone over 55 took 1 gram of omega-3 fatty acid daily, Europe would save 15 million dollars in healthcare costs.
The impact of omega-3 fatty acids are:
- Eyes: healthier retinas
- Heart: lower rates of heart-related issues and reduced plaque build-up
- Bone: Improve calcium levels for stronger bones
- Skin: healthier skin membrane and anti-aging
- Brain: improved memory
Inflammation and blood sugar levels will be kept in check with these acids.
Foods such as salmon, tuna, krill, flax seeds, walnuts, and edamame give us these essential acids. A popular supplement to get more of these acids is fish oil or krill oil. The recommended dosage is 250 mg of both EPA and DHA daily. Know that the unpleasant side effect of ‘fish burps’ is common, so look for one that minimizes this effect.
Coenzyme 10 or CoQ10
As we age, the body’s production of CoQ10 declines. This is a vital enzyme for converting food into energy and a key to heart health.
Good sources are meat and fish, so strict vegetarians need to watch their intake. But soybean and canola oils also provide this enzyme. Supplements come in two forms: ubiquinol and ubiquinone. Ubiquinol is the form most beneficial for us as we age. The average recommended dosage is 100-200 mg daily, best absorbed with meals. Look for oil-based soft gel caps.
While food is the best nutritional source available, it can be difficult to get an adequate amount of the vitamins and minerals needed to thrive. So, here’s to eating right and getting all the vitamins you need for your health!
Prime’s Top Picks
Here are our top picks for women over 50, including multivitamins, hair/skin/nails, fatty acids, and menopause relief.
2nd Springs Women’s Daily 7 Essentials, $53.99
2nd Springs Women’s Daily 7 Essentials is a convenient daily multivitamin pack of 7, perfect for women on the go! Each multivitamin pack contains essential vitamins, minerals, fish oils, hormone support, and a probiotic blend for digestive health. Simplify your wellness routine with this all-in-one solution tailored to support your energy, balance, and overall well-being.
Lunakai Collagen Gummies, $21.54
Lunakai’s Collagen Gummies offer a delicious lemon flavor, making it easy to enjoy your daily collagen boost. They support healthy skin, hair, and nails and promote joint health. These gummies are a convenient and tasty way to enhance your beauty and wellness routine from the inside out!
Fatty 15 C15:0, $119.95 (90-day starter kit)
Fatty15 contains pure C15:0, the first essential fatty acid to be discovered in over 90 years! With 36+ cellular benefits, these tiny pills pack a whole lot of goodness. The pure C15:0 ingredient in fatty15 supports our long-term wellness and healthy aging by strengthening our cell membranes, repairing mitochondrial function, supporting cellular signaling, and so much more!
Olly Mellow Menopause, $29.99
Mellow Menopause delivers GABA to support mental relaxation and a clinically studied dose of EstroG-100® to help make menopause more manageable. Expertly formulated by women who get it, these once-daily, hormone-free capsules contain EstroG-100®, which relieves symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes, night sweats, difficulty sleeping & vaginal dryness.*
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
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