As you age, it becomes increasingly important to consume essential vitamins and minerals daily to help ward off illness and disease. With all of the vitamins and supplements on the market geared toward seniors, it can be difficult to decide which ones to take. Consult your doctor to decide which supplements are best, and because certain vitamins and minerals may interact with your medications.
Calcium and Vitamin D
As you age, your body begins to lose bone mass. In women, the years following menopause are associated with a high rate of bone loss caused by declining levels of estrogen. Calcium supplements can help keep your bones and teeth healthy and strong. According to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements, getting the recommended amount of calcium may also lower your blood pressure. Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that helps the body to absorb and utilize calcium properly. You can purchase calcium and vitamin D separately or in a combination pill. The recommended daily dosage of calcium ranges from 1,000 to 1,200 mg per day with 600 to 800 IU of vitamin D.
Antioxidants
Antioxidants include vitamins A, C, E and beta carotene. According to an article in "American Family Physician," recent experimental and epidemiological evidence suggests that some antioxidants can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Antioxidants help to protect the body from free radicals and environmental toxins while strengthening the immune system. You can obtain all of your antioxidants by taking a complete multivitamin every day.
Vitamin B-12
Vitamin B-12 is the only vitamin that requires an intrinsic factor for absorption by the body. An intrinsic factor is a type of glycoprotein that begins to naturally decline with age. This can put you at risk for vitamin B deficiency. According to the Mayo Clinic, vitamin B-12 helps maintain healthy nerve cells and red blood cells and is also needed to make DNA. As you age, your doctor may begin to check your vitamin B-12 levels as a part of your checkups. You can get vitamin B-12 from a multivitamin supplement or by taking a separate vitamin B complex pill.
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