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Let’s face it, getting older comes with its fair share of challenges. Your muscles begin to weaken, your mental sharpness starts to suffer, and aches, pains, and ailing bones become your constant companions! Know the struggle?
Well, taking vitamin supplements could make an almighty difference. Indeed, Americans of all ages spend billions of dollars each year to reap the rewards of these vital dietary additions! But it’s the older members of society who stand to gain the most…
The best vitamins supplements seniors need to know about can counteract various age-related hormonal changes that make it harder to access these micronutrients from your diet alone. As a result, your body continues to get everything it needs to keep you strong, healthy, and happy. Want to discover the most vital vitamin supplements for seniors?
Keep reading to learn all about 6 essential vitamins for seniors.
Vitamin D’s important for everyone, regardless of age. For one thing, this micronutrient facilitates the absorption of calcium in your body. They work hand in hand, strengthening your bones and facilitating your skeletal health.
When vitamin D levels drop, it's a matter of time before your bones grow weaker and more brittle. And that’s bad news when you’re entering old age! After all, our bones are well-known to weaken as the years go by anyway.
Combine this natural deterioration with a vitamin D deficiency and you’re in for trouble. Likewise, our bodies produce vitamin D through sun exposure as opposed to absorbing it from food. When you’re older, less mobile, and need support to go outside, taking vitamin D supplements can be a lifeline.
No list of the best vitamins supplements seniors need to know about would be complete without vitamin C. Why? Because it’s hard to overstate the value we derive from it!
Found in fresh fruit and vegetables, this antioxidant:
These myriad benefits make vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, an essential part of anyone’s diet. However, a particular incentive for older people is its supposed link to eye-health. There's some evidence to suggest that ascorbic acid can a) prevent cataracts, b) delay the onset of age-related macular degeneration, and c) slow the loss of visual acuity.
Vitamin E shares many of the same characteristics as vitamin C. Acting as an antioxidant, it supports our immune system and defends our cells from cancer-causing free radicals. Having enough vitamin E in our system also dilates our blood vessels, which helps prevent clots from forming.
As you can imagine, those kinds of benefits are invaluable in old age! Thankfully, vitamin E deficiencies are fairly uncommon among the general population. It’s when you suffer from underlying conditions (such as celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, or chronic pancreatitis) that taking vitamin E supplements becomes most necessary.
Vitamin B12 plays a crucial role in both cell health and DNA production. In other words, it’s imperative that you consume enough of it! Allowing your levels to drop too low leads to an array of problems. Anemia (characterized by feelings of weakness and fatigue), nerve damage, and cognitive issues are among them.
The good news is that most of us consume enough B12 by eating a diet that includes meat and dairy products. But that starts to change as we enter old age! People over 50 years old tend to have less hydrochloric acid in their stomach, which affects their ability to absorb B12 from food.
It’s worth noting that this situation’s compounded for seniors who eat a vegan diet. Vitamin B12 doesn’t feature in plant-based foods, which makes supplementation the only way to access it.
B6 is another B-vitamin that senior citizens both need and lack. Also known as Pyridoxine, it:
Unfortunately, for one reason or another, it's harder for older people to absorb this versatile micronutrient. They can consume the same amount of food as someone who's younger than them, yet extract much less of the vitamin.
The smaller appetites that are typical of old age are a factor too. Senior citizens tend to eat less anyway, making it even harder to consume enough B6 from food alone. All told, it's no surprise that prescribing B6 vitamins for the elderly has become commonplace in medical circles nowadays!
Multivitamins are some of the best vitamin supplements available and an efficient way to address a range of vitamin deficiencies. Popular around the world, they contain a combination of key vitamins and minerals that seniors often lack in their systems. Taking a single pill once a day can deliver a full dose of the micronutrients your brain and body need!
The real secret to success is visiting your doctor first, though. They’ll be able to run some tests to identify the exact micronutrients that your body’s running low on (if there are any!). From there, they can suggest a reputable multivitamin to address the issue.
Health complications of one sort or another are natural parts of growing longer in the tooth. But that doesn’t make them any easier to deal with! Frustrating, draining, and debilitating, they’re best avoided for as long as possible.
That’s why we wanted to highlight the best vitamins supplements seniors need to know about. Taking these essential micronutrients can address deficiencies in your system and improve your quality of life in the process. You’ll prevent or delay the onset of health problems and remedy any that have already developed.
We hope the insights in this article will help you do exactly that! Are you looking for some high-quality vitamins or minerals to support your wellbeing? Click here to see our full catalog of amazing options now.
