Do Older Adults Need Vitamins Supplements
The majority of older adults, he says, can improve their diet to get needed nutrients.
“A lot of money is wasted in providing unnecessary supplements to millions of people who don’t need them,” says Donald B. McCormick, PhD, an Emory professor emeritus of biochemistry and the graduate program in nutrition and health sciences at Emory.
He challenges what he says is a widely held belief that the older people get, the more vitamins and mineral supplements they need.
The scientific backup for that doesnt exist, he says. “We know too little to suggest there is a greater need in the elderly for most of these vitamins and minerals.”
“A supplement does not cure the aging process,” he says. And in some cases, supplements may do harm, he says. Expense is another factor.
His report, which reviews numerous studies of vitamins and mineral supplements, is published in Advances in Nutrition.
Duffy MacKay, ND, vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs for the Council for Responsible Nutrition, an industry group representing dietary supplement makers, agrees that starting with a good diet is the best way to get needed nutrients.
But he says that is not always reality, especially for older adults who may have obstacles such as a reduced appetite.
A Complete Osteoporosis Program
Remember, a balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D is only one part of an osteoporosis prevention or treatment program. Like exercise, getting enough calcium is a strategy that helps strengthen bones at any age. But these strategies may not be enough to stop bone loss caused by lifestyle, medications, or menopause. Your doctor can determine the need for an osteoporosis medication in addition to diet and exercise.
The National Institutes of Health Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases ~ National Resource Center acknowledges the assistance of the National Osteoporosis Foundation in the preparation of this publication.
Recommended Sodium Intake For Older Adults
Sodium is another important mineral. In most Americans diets, sodium primarily comes from salt . Whenever you add salt to your food, you’re adding sodium. But the Dietary Guidelines shows that most of the sodium we eat doesnt come from our saltshakers its added to many foods during processing or preparation. We all need some sodium, but too much over time can lead to high blood pressure, which can raise your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.
How much sodium is okay? People 51 and older should reduce their sodium intake to 2,300 mg each day. That is about one teaspoon of salt and includes sodium added during manufacturing or cooking as well as at the table when eating. If you have high blood pressure or prehypertension, limiting sodium intake to 1,500 mg per day, about 2/3 teaspoon of salt, may be helpful. Preparing your own meals at home without using a lot of processed foods or salt will allow you to control how much sodium you get. Try using less salt when cooking, and dont add salt before you take the first bite. If you make this change slowly, you will get used to the difference in taste. Also look for grocery products marked low sodium, unsalted, no salt added, sodium free, or salt free. Also check the Nutrition Facts Label to see how much sodium is in a serving.
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How Can I Get The Vitamins And Minerals I Need
It is usually better to get the nutrients you need from food, rather than a pill. Thats because nutrient-dense foods contain other things that are good for you, like fiber.
Most older people can get all the nutrients they need from foods. But if you arent sure, talk with your doctor or a registered dietitian to find out if you are missing any important vitamins or minerals. He or she may recommend a vitamin or dietary supplement.
If you do need to supplement your diet, look for a supplement that contains the vitamin or mineral you need without a lot of other unnecessary ingredients. Read the label to make sure the dose is not too large. Avoid supplements with mega-doses. Too much of some vitamins and minerals can be harmful, and you might be paying for supplements you dont need. Your doctor or pharmacist can recommend brands that fit your needs.
The 4 Best Vitamins For Your Skin
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Getting the right vitamins
Taking care of your skin should be an essential part of your health regimen. It is, after all, your bodys largest organ.
The first thing most health professionals will tell you to do in order to keep your skin healthy is to limit your exposure to the suns harmful ultraviolet rays and wear protective sunscreen when youre exposed to sunlight.
But the sun isnt all bad. Just 1015 minutes of daily exposure helps manufacture vitamin D throughout the skin. Vitamin D is one of the best vitamins for your skin, along with vitamins C, E, and K.
Making sure you get enough vitamins can keep your skin looking healthy and youthful. This could translate to a reduction in:
- dark spots
- rough patches
- excessive dryness
Essential skin vitamins are available in supplemental form, but they are also found in skin care products. Learn more about these four essential vitamins and how they can help you achieve optimum skin health.
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To Keep Your Liver In Check Take Milk Thistle
Gaia HerbsMilk Thistle Seed
“It’s been used to support healthy liver functions in Europe for a long time. While scientific research has vacillated on the plants impact on the liver, the studies generally show benefit. I have regularly seen improvement in those with mild liver enzyme elevations.”
Jarrow FormulasMilk Thistle
The 16 Essential Minerals
In addition to the 13 essential vitamins your body needs, there are 16 essential minerals, all of which you might recognize from the periodic table. Unlike vitamins, minerals are inorganic, meaning they do not contain a carbon atom.
Macrominerals are the minerals that your body needs in relatively large amounts trace minerals are those that your body needs in small amounts. The essential macrominerals are calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and sulfur. The trace minerals your body requires are iron, zinc, iodine, chromium, copper, fluoride, molybdenum, manganese, and selenium.
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Magnesium For Many Uses
Research has shown that only 50% of Americans get the right amounts of magnesium. The study goes on further to state that the standard diet only contains 50% of the recommended amount. Magnesium plays a role in hundreds of body functions and helps process vitamin D. The mineral also helps with blood pressure, diabetes prevention, and inflammation. Magnesium is a powerful supplement to add to a daily practice.
Path To Improved Health
Try to incorporate more of these nutrients in your daily diet. Its best to get these nutrients through food, instead of just taking a multivitamin. This is because it is easier for your body to absorb micronutrients through food.
If you are unable to get all the nutrients you need from food alone, ask your doctor if dietary supplements are right for you.
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Vitamins And Minerals: How To Get What You Need
Micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals found in food that nourish your body and help keep you healthy. They are essential to your overall health.
Choosing foods each day that are rich in vitamins and minerals is the best way for your body to get what it needs to be healthy. However, research consistently finds that most Americans dont get enough vitamins and minerals in their diets.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture , adult Americans do not typically get enough of the following nutrients:
- calcium
- vitamins A, C, D, and E
Best Supplements For People Over 40
Even if you focus on eating a wide variety of nutrient-dense foods, making sure you’re scoring enough vitamins and minerals can be a tricky business. This is especially true as you get older, sincewe’re sorry to sayyour body’s probably not functioning as efficiently as it used to. Obviously, you want to grab as many nutrients as you can from your favorite eats, but you might need to consider taking supplements to fill in specific nutritional blanks that aren’t being met by your food intake. Of course, before beginning any new supplement plan, be sure to consult your healthcare professional to determine if it is right for your needs.
Nowwhere to begin? Glad you asked. Here are 20 important nutrients to chat with your doc about that all contribute to a healthy life in your 40s and beyond. And if you’re looking beyond your health and hope to drop a few after you’ve reached the big four-oh, don’t miss these 40 Weight Loss Tips for People Over 40.
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Women Over 40 Need These Supplements To Beat Ageing Fatigue
Have you just knocked at the doors of 40s and started experiencing few not-so-good changes in the health?
If you are feeling tired all the time, have painful joints, are worried about new crease lines on the face, its time to pop up mineral supplements, as a part of your regular meal.
As a woman reaches forties, she faces quite a lot of health issues such as a decrease in the libido, slow metabolism and fragile bones.
Ageing is inevitable, and at the same time, your body is also not able to cope the same way at 40 plus, as it was at 20. Supplements functions as an army to fight age-related ailments and help in staying fit.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is one of the essential supplements to be added in your list as soon as you turn 40. It plays a major role in maintaining normal blood and brain functioning. Young adults are likely to get from a whole lot of food sources such as egg, lean meat, fish and dairy products, but as you age the absorption decreases, because the stomach acids levels are washed out.
As you turn 40 and most importantly after 50 it is time to start getting your Vitamin B 12 supplement.
Calcium
Vitamin D
Magnesium
Omega 3 Fatty Acids
The Best Vitamins And Supplements For Women In Their 50s
Vitamins and supplements can help support health through menopause. For women in their 50s, menopause is often a significant change that affects the body. High priority supplements for women in their 50s include vitamin D, calcium, turmeric, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Vitamin D is an especially important vitamin for women in their 50s. By helping the body absorb calcium from food, vitamin D helps promote bone health. Taking vitamin D in conjunction with calcium can help support and maintain healthy bones.
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The 13 Essential Vitamins
At the most basic level, vitamins are essential organic substances your bodys cells require to function, grow, develop and heal properly. There are 13 essential vitamins: vitamins A, C, D, E, K, and the B vitamins, B6, B12, biotin, folate, niacin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, and thiamine. A major deficiency in any one of these vitamins could lead to serious health problems.
What The Experts Do
Healthy Food Instead of Supplements
I dont take any supplements routinely, says Larry Appel, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research. I try to eat three healthy meals a day to get the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients I need. How he does it:
- Plenty of produce. I aim for two or more servings of fruits or vegetables at every meal, he says. I enjoy salads and have one for lunch or dinner several times a week.
- Low-fat dairy and whole grains. Low-fat or fat-free milk and yogurt provide calcium, magnesium, potassium and other nutrients, he says. I have cereal with milk for breakfast a few times a week. And I have yogurt sometimes too.
- Protein. At home we usually have fish or chicken for dinner. I am not a vegetarian rather, I eat minimal meat, Appel says. Some fish, such as salmon, are a good source of healthful omega-3 fatty acids.
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Still Wondering What Vitamins You Should Take Try Our Simple Approach To Finding Personalized Vitamins And Supplements For Your Unique Health Goals
Almost everyone has some experience with vitamins, even if the last ones you took were shaped like a cartoon family. However, with thousands of products on the market, the process of choosing the right vitamins and supplements can be overwhelming. The process is made even more complicated by contradicting information and misleading advertising. You know there is a way to improve your long-term health, but how can you make sure you are taking the right vitamins and supplements?
The key is to know what essential vitamins and nutrients to look out for, to carefully assess your diet, and to consider how your lifestyle and long-term health goals come into play. Remember that vitamins and supplements are not meant to replace a healthy diet. Beyond nutrients, fresh fruits and vegetables provide antioxidants, phytochemicals, and fiber, all of which are important.
Macular Degeneration Prevention Tips
Family members of people with macular degeneration often ask whether they should take AREDS2 vitamins or lutein/zeaxanthin. While these are safe to take over a period of at least 5 years , it is not known whether it would be safe for a number of decades. Therefore, it is recommended that family members eat foods containing high levels of lutein and zeaxanthin rather than take the supplements. These foods also contain hundreds of other phytochemicals that are likely to be helpful. Foods such as egg yolk , yellow corn, orange or yellow peppers, kale, broccoli, spinach, kiwi, grapes, zucchini, and squash have high levels of lutein and/or zeaxanthin and are thought to be protective against AMD.
Resources
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Digestive Enzymes And Probiotics
As we age, our digestive system weakens and it is more difficult for our bodies to absorb the nutrients in foods, vitamins, and prescription medications. Taking a digestive and a probiotic together supports digestive health and feelings of physical well-being.
A happy digestive system helps avoid bloating, gas, heartburn, diarrhea, and constipation. And if youve ever wondered about cracked or peeling fingernails, poor digestion may be the cause.
The enzymes in digestive enzymes lipase, amylase, protease, and nuclease are also believed to support weight loss as digestive functions improve. Incomplete digestion can contribute to weight gain. While the enzymes are not a direct recommendation for losing weight, you may find that you feel less boated and have more energy.
Increasing health literacy, by learning more about how vitamins and supplements benefit the body and mind, supports positive aging.
Research today allows us to be more proactive about our health than our parents and grandparents.
Choose to be proactive today about your health so that you are more active and healthy in your later years.
Women With Heavy Periods
Excessive blood loss from heavy periods can lead to iron deficiency and anemia. Women who regularly experience heavy periods may benefit from eating more iron-rich foods or taking iron supplements.
Anyone who has concerns about their periods or heavy menstrual bleeding should speak with a doctor.
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What Vitamins Should A 30 Year Old Woman Take
If you are a women who is in her 20s, 30s, or 40s, then you might be wondering what are the best vitamins to take? This article shares eight of the best vitamins that women of child-bearing age should consider.
Women are generally considered to be of childbearing age between our late teens to late 40s, so we need to factor in special considerations when deciding which vitamin supplements to take.
Some of the ways vitamins and supplements can benefit our health include:
- supporting hormonal and thyroid balance
- preventing anemia from menstruation or childbirth
- and replenishing vitamins and minerals that have been depleted due to birth control, other medications, life stressors, exercise, food choices, and more.
Heres a basic overview of the best vitamins and minerals for a woman in her 30s, or any woman of childbearing age. And, if you are a woman with PCOS, you should also read my article on the Best Supplements for PCOS.
Get Supplement Help Today
The body can get many of these vitamins and minerals from a healthy diet. However, supplementation is critical over age 50. With age, the body is unable to acquire and process vitamins. Does this mean a fistful of pills every day? Of course not. A pharmacist can recommend a multivitamin that contains most of these vital nutrients. Some pharmacies even practice compounding. With compounding, pharmacies can create a customized supplement in different forms like liquid or gel caps. Speak with a doctor, pharmacist, or compound pharmacy to determine the right supplements.
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Best With Black Cohosh
Price: $Garden of Life is a popular supplement brand that can usually be found at your local grocery store. Garden of Life mykind Organics Women 40+ contains a variety of essential nutrients, including folate, magnesium, and vitamins B6, B12, and D3, which may be lacking in the diets of women over 50.This multivitamin also contains black cohosh, an herb that has shown promise in decreasing certain symptoms of menopause, including hot flashes, when taken as a supplement (Garden of Life is certified organic, gluten-free, kosher, and vegan.
