Dietary Supplements For Older Adults

Dietary Supplements For Older Adults. Nutritional supplements can be beneficial at any age. However, they can also have unwanted side effects, such as unsafe prescription drug interactions. Also, they might not work at all. So then, it’s essential to understand the supplements you are taking and why you are taking them. Therefore, talk with your doctor if you are considering taking a supplement.

What is a dietary supplement?

Dietary Supplements For Older Adults. Nutritional supplements can be beneficial at any age. However, they can also have unwanted side effects, such as unsafe prescription drug interactions. Also, they might not work at all. So then, it’s essential to understand the supplements you are taking and why you are taking them. Therefore, talk with your doctor if you are considering taking a supplement.

Dietary supplements are substances taken to add nutrients to your diet. Also, to lower your risk of health problems such as osteoporosis or arthritis. Nutritional supplements come in pills, capsules, powders, gel capsules and tablets, extracts, or liquids.

Should I take a dietary supplement?

Dietary Supplements For Older Adults. Eating a variety of healthy foods is the best way to get the nutrients you need. However, some people may not get enough vitamins and minerals from their daily diet. When that’s the case, their doctors may recommend a dietary supplement to provide missing nutrients.

If You Are Thinking About Using Dietary Supplements

• Learn. Find out as much as you can about any dietary supplement you might take. Talk with your doctor, pharmacist, or a registered dietitian. A supplement that seemed to help your neighbor might not work for you. If you are reading fact sheets or checking websites, be aware of the source of the information. Could the writer or group profit from the sale of a particular supplement? Read more about choosing reliable health information websites.
• Remember. Just because something is said to be “natural” doesn’t mean it is safe or good for you. And it could have side effects. Also, it might make a medicine your doctor prescribed for you either weaker or stronger. Furthermore, it could also be harmful to you if you have certain medical conditions.
• Tell your doctor. Before deciding to start taking a dietary supplement to treat any health condition, check with your doctor. Do not take a supplement to try to diagnose or treat any health condition without first checking with your doctor. Learn how medications can interact with dietary supplements. For more information, visit the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.

If You Are Thinking About Shopping For Dietary Supplements

• Buy wisely. Choose brands that your doctor, dietitian, or pharmacist recommend. Don’t buy dietary supplements with ingredients you don’t need. Don’t assume that more is better — it can actually be harmful to take too many supplements or those with a very high concentration of a nutrient. It is possible to waste money on unneeded supplements.
• Check the science. Make sure any claim about a dietary supplement is based on scientific proof. Look for the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) verified mark. USP verifies the identity, quality, strength, and purity of supplements. Every country has a verification service look up yours. Information on some dietary supplements is available on MedlinePlus, but it’s important to note that most supplements listed have limited evidence of any benefit. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
• Be a savvy consumer. Some advertisements for dietary supplements in magazines, online, or on TV promise that some of these products will make you feel better, keep you from getting sick, or even help you live longer. It’s important to know that often, there is little, if any, science supporting these claims.

supplements for older adults

People over age 50 may need more of some vitamins and minerals than younger adults do. Your doctor or a dietitian can tell you whether you need to change your diet or take a vitamin or mineral supplement to get enough of these:

Calcium

Calcium: Calcium works with vitamin D to keep bones strong at all ages. Bone loss can lead to fractures in both older women and men. Calcium is found in milk and milk products (fat-free or low-fat is best), canned fish with soft bones, dark-green leafy vegetables like kale, and foods with calcium added, such as breakfast cereals.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D: Most people in the United States consume less than recommended amounts of vitamin D. Talk with your doctor about adding vitamin D-fortified milk and milk products, vitamin D-fortified cereals, and fatty fish to your diet, or using a vitamin D supplement.

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6: This vitamin is needed to form red blood cells. It is found in potatoes, bananas, chicken breasts, and fortified cereals.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12: This helps keep your red blood cells and nerves healthy. While older adults need just as much vitamin B12 as other adults. However, some have trouble absorbing the vitamin naturally found in food. So then, if you have this problem, your doctor may recommend that you eat foods like fortified cereals with this vitamin added, or take a B12 supplement. Also, strict vegetarians and vegans are at greater risk of developing vitamin B12 deficiency. Because natural food sources of vitamin B12 are limited to animal foods. Talk with your doctor about whether taking a B12 supplement is right for you.

What are antioxidants?

You may have heard about antioxidants in the news. These are natural substances in food that might help protect you from some diseases. Here are some common antioxidants that you should be sure to include in your diet:

Beta-carotene: Found in fruits and vegetables that are either dark green or dark orange

Selenium: Found in seafood, liver, meat, and grains

Vitamin C: Found in citrus fruits, peppers, tomatoes, and berries

Vitamin E: Found in wheat germ, nuts, and sesame seeds; and canola, olive, and peanut oils

Currently, research results suggest that large doses of supplements with antioxidants will not prevent chronic diseases such as heart disease or diabetes. In fact, some studies have shown that taking large doses of some antioxidants could be harmful. Again, it is best to check with your doctor before taking a dietary supplement.

Herbal supplements and older adults

Herbal supplements are dietary supplements that come from plants. These types of supplements are taken by mouth, whether it’s by a capsule, tablet, powder, or liquid.

A few that you may have heard of are Ginkgo Biloba, ginseng, echinacea, and black cohosh. Researchers are looking at using herbal supplements to prevent or treat some health problems, but it’s too early to know if these are both safe and useful. Previous studies of certain herbal supplements have not shown any benefits.

It’s important to know that just because a supplement is natural, or comes from plants, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s safe.

In Conclusion

Dietary supplements can be very helpful to many of us at older ages. However, we should all get advice from our doctor before starting supplements. Besides many of us are on medications that may not be compatible with some supplements. Better safe than sorry.

Important Note *

Remember that everyone is different, and it is ultimately YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to find what your body responds to. So please do your due diligence before trying anything new, including getting Medical Advice to ensure your safety and peace of mind.

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