What dietary supplements should older adults and seniors prioritize taking?

Even people who exert maximum effort into balancing their diet may deal with vitamin deficiencies. This especially applies to older adults, whose organs absorb less nutrients compared to their younger counterparts. Older adults may be even more malnourished if they possess food allergies, take prescribed pills, or follow popular weight-loss programs. With supplements, older adults can assure that their bodies receive the nutrients they need. This article presents three supplements that promote energy, immunity, pain relief, and more in older adults and seniors.

Vitamin B6

A change in an older adult’s eating habits may cause a change in their energy levels. While transitioning to a vegetarian or vegan diet, older adults may enter a tired state. This is because meat contains a surplus of vitamin B6, which counters sluggishness. It does so by making hemoglobin, a molecule that carries oxygen to organs. Older adults that are plant-based, exhausted, or anemic can feel awake and alert again with a vitamin B6 supplement.

Older adults may need assistance adjusting to new eating habits, as well as new environments. Soon, spring will start and bees will begin leaving pollen behind. Red eyes, a runny nose, and sneezing will follow for older adults that are sensitive to shifts in seasons.  Fortunately, vitamin B6 builds antibodies that fight bacteria, minimize mucus, and clear congestion. Older adults can be proactive and prevent sickness with a vitamin B6 supplement.

Vitamin B12

As older adults age, recognizing images and recalling information becomes more challenging. This is due to atrophy, or shrinkage, of the eyes and brain. Vitamin B12 stops atrophy by sustaining a high number of healthy neurons. This enhances older adults’ eyesight and memory, managing their risks for Alzhiemer’s disease and dementia. A tip for staying sharp as an older adult is to take a vitamin B12 supplement.

Vitamin B12 benefits older adults’ brains and bones. It makes older adults’ bones more durable by doubling their density. This acts as older adults’ armor against falls and fractures. When vitamin B12 is strengthening older adults’ bones, it’s also stabilizing their balance. This allows older adults to be active instead of aching. A vitamin B12 supplement can protect older adults from osteoporosis and immobility.

Vitamin C

Countless older adults are behind on how to care for their sensitive skin; step one is to consume vitamin C supplements. Vitamin C creates collagen, fibers that form the skin’s structure. Extra collagen can make saggy and shriveled skin more suspended and supple. It can also accompany sunscreen in saving the skin from sun damage. It offers defense from physical damage as well, healing wounds and forming scars at a faster rate. If an older adult has compromised skin, it can be revitalized with vitamin C supplements.

In addition to sensitive skin, a significant amount of older adults suffer from cardiovascular complications. Vitamin C can defuse diabetes by lowering older adults’ glucose levels. Also, it can de-escalate heart disease by cutting down their cholesterol. Lastly, it can relieve hypertension by widening their blood vessels. Vitamin C supplements enable older adults’ to gain control of their medical conditions.

Under doctor supervision, supplements may fill the gaps in older adults’ mental and physical fitness. Older adults that frequently fall ill or feel fatigued may refresh with a vitamin B6 supplement. Other older adults that sense their cognitive skills slipping may be stimulated with a vitamin B12 supplement. Other older adults that are not satisfied with their skin may restore it with a vitamin C supplement. Taking dietary supplements is a small habit with big advantages.

— Madison Kemp