At some point in life, you stop hearing your mum tell you to ‘drink your milk to grow big and strong’, and start hearing your kids nagging you to ‘take your calcium pills to avoid osteoporosis.’ Wellness experts argue that it’s vital to take your vitamins past the age of 60, ‘as the absorption of nutrients and minerals and vitamins can decline,’ explains Dr. Mickey Barber, president of Cenegenics Carolinas. ‘We don’t absorb as efficiently as we once did.’
According to Barber, ‘Unless you’re growing your own food and it’s all organic, pesticide and hormone free, you cook all your own meals [and] you never eat out, you’re going to need at least a multivitamin.’ It’s impossible to get all the vitamins and minerals you need from every meal, but scary supplement studies can make you think twice about pill popping. So which supplements are safe and recommended to take when you’re over 50? (Providing you have your doctor’s blessing, of course!)
Firstly, for a natural health boost, you can’t go wrong with curcumin. This is a substance found in turmeric and Indian dishes, but you can also take it in supplement form. Barber says curcumin is ‘a powerful anti-inflammatory. There are some studies that show it can reduce [brain] plaques in those with Alzheimer’s disease.’ Likewise, Barber heartily recommends a vitamin B12 supplement once you’ve reached the half-a-century mark. He explains that vitamin B12 is ‘very important for neurologic function, cognition and memory,’ and people who have a B12 deficiency have been shown to suffer from dementia or peripheral neuropathy, which is numbness in your hands and feet caused by nerve damage.
Dr Barber adds, ‘It’s surprising to me how many Americans have poor GI health, especially people over 45 and 50. Some signs of it are constipation, bloating, gas [and] just a general feeling that you’re bloated in your gut.’ Several things, such as chlorinated water and antibiotics, destroy the good bacteria in your gut, which means that your body won’t be able to absorb any of your vital vitamins. Therefore, Dr Barber suggests over 50s take probiotics, which are supplements of live bacteria to replace the good bacteria the body can lose. You can lower your dose once your gut re-colonises.
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