How Important Are Vitamins After 50?

Healthy Lifestyle Rules In Old Age

How important are vitamins after 50? This is a good question to ponder when you hit the 50’s. This is because vitamin supplements can help your nutritional deficits brought on by ageing.

Nevertheless, caution is needed since it may hurt you to take too many vitamins. The fact is that many vitamins contain several hundreds of percentages more than the recommended dietary allowances (RDA) of these nutrients. And, when combined with foods along with beverages supplemented with the same vitamins, your body may be getting a toxic exposure.

As a consequence, complications from vitamin overdose may include bleeding, mental changes, physical weakness, and kidney stones. In addition may be dangerous interactions with medications that cause muscle, eye, and bone pain, liver toxicity, or other problems.

When You May Need Vitamins Supplements

Although mindful of vitamin toxicity, there are conditions that may still put you at nutritional risk. As such, how important are vitamins after 50? gives the thumb-up for nutritional risk situations when supplementing with vitamins may be helpful. These conditions include the following:

• Difficulty chewing or swallowing.
• Poor access to foods needed for balanced and healthy meals.
• Changes in the digestive system that makes it more difficult for the body to process certain vitamins such as B6, B12, and folic acid.
• Older people living alone may not know how to prepare healthy meals.
• Poor taste and smell, depression, or illness reduce appetite.
• Restricted diets due to illness and diseases.
• Excessive consumption of alcohol and tobacco use.

Medications That May Affect Ability To Absorb Vitamins

Similarly, it is important to know that certain medications can affect the body’s ability to absorb or utilise vitamins and minerals. These include anti-seizure drugs, antacids, and diuretics. Others are fat-blocking diet medications, anti-inflammatory drugs, and laxatives. Accordingly, it is crucial to speak with your doctor or pharmacist to confirm if you are a candidate for vitamin supplementation.

13 Vitamins Essential for Healthy Functioning

There are 13 vitamins that are essential for your body to function in a healthy manner. These essential vitamins can be obtained through a healthy and well-rounded diet.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is in liver, eggs, fish liver oil, and dairy products. Dark red, green, or yellow vegetables also contain a form of this vitamin known as beta carotene.

B1 – thiamine

B1 – thiamine is found in many food sources including pork, fortified cereals, nuts and oatmeal.

B2 – riboflavin

B2 – riboflavin is present in liver, dairy products, and fortified cereals, as well as some dark green leafy vegetables.

B3 – niacin

B3 – niacin is in fish such as mackerel, salmon and swordfish, chicken, veal, and several fortified cereals.

B5 – pantothenic acid

B5 – pantothenic acid is in many whole grains, milk, eggs, liver and beans.

B6 – pyridoxine

B6 – pyridoxine may be found in oily fish, whole grains, soybeans and fortified cereals, and baked potatoes with their skin. Other sources are chicken, meat, peanuts, watermelon, avocados, and bananas.

B12 – cobalamin

B12 – cobalamin is only found naturally in animal products, eggs, dairy, clams, and oily fish. It may also be found in many fortified cereals.

Biotin

Biotin is present in mushrooms, milk, eggs, nuts, whole grains, liver, tomatoes, and brewer’s yeast. It is also produced naturally by the bacteria in our intestines.

Folate

Folate is in orange juice, bananas, and many other fruits. Equally present in green leafy vegetables, peas, dried beans, yeast, and asparagus. While the synthetic form, folic acid, is added to many of our grain products.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is abundant in many citrus juices, papayas, bell peppers, hot chili peppers, broccoli, kale, sweet potatoes. And many other fruits and vegetables.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D  is made by our bodies after exposure to the sun three times per week, 15 minutes per exposure. It is also found in fortified milk, egg yolk, liver, and oily fish.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is found in corn, nuts, dark leafy vegetables such as spinach, vegetable oils and margarine.

Vitamin K

Vitamin K is found in canola, olive, and soybean oils. As well as cabbage, spinach, cauliflower, and fortified cereals.

How To Choose Wisely When Buying Vitamins

So, how important are vitamins after 50? Okay, you have decided to choose vitamins. But you need to be careful when the time comes to buy them. For the reason that vitamins are not required to undergo the same pre-market testing that is compulsory for prescription medications. Hence, this makes it super important to pick the brand of vitamin that is best for you. The following buying suggestions may help:

• Try to avoid expensive products with all kinds of extras. This does not mean they are better.

• Be wary of vitamins containing hundreds or thousands times the recommended daily allowances. Unless suggested by your doctor, registered dietician or health care specialist.

• Insist on buying from well-known manufacturers, trusted pharmacy, or brands recommended by your doctor.

Bottom Line

While a vitamin in small quantities is often helpful, but when taken in large or unsupervised amounts they have the potential to cause harm. Therefore, while pondering on the question of how important are vitamins after 50? always inform your doctor the type and quantity of any vitamin supplement you intend to take.

https://www.eatright.org/health/wellness/healthy-aging/special-nutrient-needs-of-older-adults

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