As you age, your body goes through several transformations. In addition to altering how you look and feel, the aging process changes the number of nutrients your body needs. Fortunately, supplements are known to promote your intake of essential nutrients, reinforce healthy aging, and help you feel your best.
Before we get into the supplements you should be taking daily, here are some things you should know before taking any supplement.
2 Things You Should Know Before Taking Any Supplement
1. Supplements Cannot Replace A Well-Rounded Eating Pattern
Anyone who’s visited a pharmacy or vitamin shop has seen the vast selection of over-the-counter supplements. How to start? Multivitamins, protein powders, minerals, and herbal supplements are available.
You May Also Like
No supplement can substitute for a healthy diet. “Supplements enhance a balanced diet,” “Diana Mesa, RD, LDN, CDCES, founder and owner of En La Mesa Nutrition, states. “You should still try to eat a range of nutrient-dense meals.
Because food provides minerals that supplements cannot. Our meals include synergistic vitamins and minerals. Mesa adds, “We may not get the same advantages from supplementing instead of consuming nutrient-dense meals.”
Food provides energy. Next time diet culture attempts to persuade you that reducing your food intake for weight reduction is “good” or remotely safe, remember that your body requires food (calories) to avoid malnutrition, accomplish daily tasks, and live, breathe, and be healthy. Food provides life-giving energy, but most herbal, vitamin, and mineral supplements don’t.
You May Also Like
2. The FDA Isn’t Required To Test Supplements For Safety Before They’re Sold
According to the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), the FDA “does NOT have the power to approve dietary supplements for safety and efficacy, or to authorize their labeling, before the supplements are offered to the public.”
A 2015 New England Journal of Medicine research found that supplements may hurt unwary users.
However, a third-party-tested supplement guarantees label accuracy. Mesa states NSF International, US Pharmacopeia, and ConsumerLab seal products to ensure safety. Check the supplement’s label or these third-party testers’ websites to see whether it’s been tested.
Now, here are 10 of the best supplements you and your family should take daily.
10 Supplements to Take Daily
10. New Chapter Bone Strength Take Care Slim Tablets
As you age, your body starts to break down bone faster than it can replace it, which can lead to an inflated risk of osteoporosis, fractures, and slips.
For this reason, women over 50 and men over 70 have increased calcium needs. This essential nutrient makes up the structure of bones and teeth.
This supplement from New Chapter delivers 905 mg of plant-based calcium in each serving to help sustain bone health, along with other bone-building nutrients such as vitamin D3, magnesium, and vitamin K.
9. Flomentum
Flomentum includes 320 mg of saw palmetto extract. This compound has been demonstrated to reduce prostate inflammation and improve symptoms of BPH. Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) is a typical problem among older men, provoking symptoms such as difficulty urinating and a heightened or urgent need to urinate
8. Equelle
Equelle is a hormone-free dietary supplement created to deliver alleviation of menopause symptoms.
RELATED: 3 Supplements You Should Be Taking Daily
7. Nature’s Bounty Ginkgo Biloba
This compound has been researched for its capacity to slow cognitive decline, particularly for individuals with dementia, when used in doses ranging from 120–240 mg per day
6. Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides
Using a collagen supplement such as Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides is an effortless way to increase your collagen intake to sustain healthy skin as you get older.
5. Naked Whey
Some research shows that supplementing protein intake could help control muscle loss and maintain muscle function and power in adults over 65.
While it is feasible to meet your protein needs through food sources independently, protein supplements deliver a convenient way to boost your intake.
4. Garden of Life Vitamin Code 50 & Wiser Women
This product from Garden of Life is cultivated for women over 50.
It includes a variety of vitamins and minerals tailored to your necessities, including higher amounts of nutrients for bone health, such as vitamin D and vitamin K.
3. Centrum Minis Men 50+
This multivitamin from Centrum includes vitamins and minerals to sustain better health, especially for men, including B vitamins, zinc, magnesium, and vitamin D.
2. Nature Made CoQ10
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a compound found intrinsically in the body and plays a key role in energy production.
Unfortunately, levels of CoQ10 decrease over time.
Research indicates low CoQ10 levels could accelerate the effects of aging and contribute to chronic conditions such as heart disease or progressive brain disorders.
This development from Nature Made includes 200 mg of CoQ10 per serving to help increase your intake of this essential nutrient.
1. Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega
Omega-3 fatty acids are connected to a lengthy list of health benefits, including lowering inflammation and sustaining heart health as you age.
However, suppose you don’t regularly consume foods like fatty fish. In that case, it can be challenging to meet your daily omega-3 needs through diet alone. Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega loads 1,280 mg of omega-3 fatty acids into each serving. It is flavored with lemon to stop fishy belches and an unwelcome aftertaste.
RELATED: Before You Take That Supplement, Here’s What You Should Know
How to Select Quality Supplements
There are several elements to contemplate when determining whether to take supplements.
Some ingredients can interact with individual medications and negatively affect individuals with distinct health conditions. Consequently, it’s essential to talk with a trusted healthcare professional before adding any supplements to your routine and to use products only as directed.
How To Avoid Vitamin And Mineral Toxicity
By design, supplements are intended to replace (supplement) the vitamins and minerals that you’re not getting from dietary sources. For example, many people are deficient in vitamin D, since it’s a tough nutrient to get from food alone.
“But taking supplements on top of eating fortified cereals, protein shakes and energy bars can cause problems,” Hutchinson says. The good news: It’s easy to avoid dangerous supplement toxicities with these three strategies:
Pay attention to daily values. Many of today’s preferred foods boast more than 100% of the recommended dietary allowance for select vitamins and minerals. If you’re eating those foods, back off the supplements.
Read labels. Herbal products, even herbal teas, often contain vitamins and minerals. “Many people take elderberry supplements during cold and flu season, and some of these products contain high levels of zinc,” Hutchinson says. Overdoing it on zinc, or any other nutrient, could have unintended downstream consequences.
Supplement only for deficiencies. Supplements are meant to fill the gaps of a diet that is lacking in specific nutrients. If you know you’re deficient in vitamin D, for example, or if you’re struggling to get enough calcium after menopause to support your bones, work with your doctor to determine which supplements, and at what doses, are right for you.
