Dietary Supplements for Older Adults

3 minute read

By Andrew Silver

As you age, your body undergoes hormonal changes and can’t absorb nutrients as efficiently as it would when you were younger. This is where dietary supplements come in. Start a search to learn about the top supplements for seniors.

Nutritional requirements also increase with age. While natural food provides the best nutrients, not all seniors can consume a balanced diet – for a wide variety of reasons, from mobility to financial and more.

What Is a Dietary Supplement?

Consuming a balanced diet rich in plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole, unrefined foods is inevitably the best way to provide all the vital nutrients your body needs. It helps you stay healthy and steer clear of serious health issues. However, that is easier said than done — and even more when you’ve in your later years.

A dietary supplement is a substance that literally supplements your diet by providing nutrients to your body. They aren’t close to the natural nutrients found in whole foods but taking them can step up your health game. Nutrients play a vital role in promoting health and reducing the risk of having various health problems, such as:

Dietary supplements come in various dosage forms, including tablets, capsules, syrups, powders, and liquid extracts. They carry nutrients like vitamins, minerals, herbs, fatty acids, fibers, and enzymes.

Certain food products can also be “fortified” with dietary supplements. Fortified juices, cereals, milk, flour, snack bars are examples of foods that supplement your diet with essential nutrients.

What to Consider Before Taking Dietary Supplements

Once you’ve decided to take dietary supplements, you must consider a few things beforehand. They are:

Best Dietary Supplements for Seniors

Older adults above 50 need more vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients than younger people. Some dietary supplements that do wonders for improving health in older adults are:

Calcium

Both men and women start losing bone mass after they turn 50. This is particularly common in women after menopause as hormonal changes in their body limits calcium production. As such, supplementing with calcium helps preserve bone mass in older adults.

Vitamin D

Without Vitamin D, your body can’t consume the calcium it gets from your diet or supplements. Additionally, the sunshine vitamins play a crucial role in preserving your bone health, fighting inflammation, preventing infection, and lowering the risk of cancer.

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 serves a key role in red blood cell formation. Older adults are at a higher risk of having B6 deficiency as their bodies can’t absorb it fully.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is essential for having healthy blood and nerve cells. Its absorption declines drastically in older adults.

The deficiency of vitamin B12 in adults over 50 puts them at high risk for dementia and anemia. People who are strictly vegetarian and vegan must also be checked for vitamin B12 deficiency as its primary sources come from animal foods.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an omega-3 fatty acid that regulates brain health by improving mood, cognitive health, and enhancing memory. Unfortunately, intake and absorption of DHA declines with age, which can be counteracted by taking a DHA supplement.

Probiotics

Probiotics have always been the underdogs in the nutritional supplement space when it should be the other way round. As you age, your gut becomes vulnerable to attack by disease-causing bacteria. These are healthy bacteria that protect your gut and improve the absorption of nutrients from your stomach and dietary supplements into your blood.

Start a Search

Older adults are most vulnerable to suffering from nutrient deficiencies. Dietary supplements offer a safe and straightforward approach to meeting nutritional requirements and improving overall health.

Start a search online to learn more about the best supplements to take as you age. Taking them in prescribed dose – along with exercise and a balanced diet – can significantly improve your health and well-being for years to come.

Andrew Silver

Contributor