Multivitamins can be convenient ways to get the nutrients you aren't consuming in your regular diet. And because your nutritional needs and your diet change as you age, it's important that women over age 50 get a good multivitamin that addresses those changing needs, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Your doctor may advise you to make sure you get specific nutrients, such as vitamin D if you are at high risk for osteoporosis, or iron if you have anemia. It's always a good idea to talk with your doctor before starting a multivitamin regimen to make sure you aren't getting too much of a particular vitamin or that the vitamins won't interfere with any medications you take.
Options
Myriad varieties of multivitamins are on the market, so it can be confusing deciding on one product from among so many options. The independent Nutrition Action Health Letter evaluated dozens of multivitamins and came up with a few that were particularly good options for women and for anyone 50 or older. Among the key criteria for those top recommendations was that the vitamin contain at least 24 mcg (micro-grams) of vitamin B-12 and no more than 10 mg (milligrams) of iron. The Health Letter's top picks for women over 50 include Dr. Art Ulene Nutrition Boost Formula for Men & Women; Twinlab Dualtabs. Your doctor or pharmacist may recommend other products based on your individual health needs.
Considerations
If you eat a healthy and balanced diet, you may not need a multivitamin. Or you may instead need specific vitamins to fill in the blanks for the nutrients your diet or your multivitamin is not providing, suggests Brent Bauer, M.D., director of the Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program at the Mayo Clinic, in an online article for "Women's Health." A nutritionist could help you understand the strengths and deficiencies in your diet and recommend the right multivitamin for you.
Theories/Speculation
Supplementation with vitamins has been studied extensively as a means of lowering risk of heart disease, cancer and other conditions. Results have largely been mixed, though there have been studies showing that additional consumption of vitamins A, C, E and beta carotene is associated with a lower heart disease risk. However, according to HeartHealthyWomen.org, a joint project of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease, one theory is that people who take multivitamins are more likely to eat a healthier diet, exercise more, not smoke and engage in a generally more heart-healthy lifestyle.
Benefits
Because women 50 and older are at a higher risk for osteoporosis, intake of some key nutrients is especially important to build and maintain bone health. According to the National Women's Health Information Center, vitamin D, vitamin K, vitamin C, magnesium and zinc are important for bone health. Calcium is also vital to bone health, so as you examine labels, look for healthy amounts of those nutrients, in particular.
Expert Insight
The Cleveland Clinic notes that in older adults the consumption of certain nutrients in the diet often diminishes. Among those nutrients that should be included in your multivitamin are the minerals iron, calcium, magnesium and zinc; vitamin D, vitamin B-12 and folate.
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