Vitamins play an essential role in keeping you healthy and ensuring that your body functions properly. This is especially important for seniors looking to keep their bodies in good shape as they age.
What Vitamins Do Seniors Need?
Like everyone else, seniors need the essential vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K. In many cases, seniors can get most, of these vitamins by following a healthy diet.
However, there may be instances where adding a dietary supplement is helpful. For example, many people have dietary restrictions that prevent them from getting the vitamins they need.
When to Speak to Your Doctor
A healthcare provider might recommend certain vitamins after running routine bloodwork and seeing a deficiency.
Speak to your doctor before adding any supplements. This is especially true if you take medications for a health condition, because vitamins may interact with them.
Best Vitamins for Seniors
You can find many great vitamins for seniors. Sometimes, the vitamins will also include mineral supplements, and compounds supporting your body’s function. These include:
- Vitamin D: Vitamin D plays an essential role in bone density, and low amounts of vitamin D can lead to brittle bones.
- Vitamin B-12: According to the Journal of the American Geriatric Society, vitamin B-12 deficiency could lead to dementia and other age-related memory problems. Taking vitamin B-12 supplements may help protect your mind from dementia.
- Vitamin B-6: Vitamin B-6 works to help us turn food into energy and to make red blood cells.
- Fish Oil: While not strictly a vitamin, fish oil offers many potential benefits, including supporting good heart health.
- Vitamin C: Vitamin C supports your immune system, especially for seniors. You can find vitamin C in many fruits, but you can also find it as a supplement.
- Vitamin A: Vitamin A also plays a vital role in your immune system and in your vision. If you are a current smoker, do not start vitamin A without speaking to your doctor.
- Vitamin E: Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant and helps protect your cells from damage.
Best Multivitamins for Seniors
If your doctor recommends adding a vitamin supplement to your diet, they will likely recommend either a single vitamin or a multivitamin. Multivitamins are the best vitamins for seniors who are missing quantities of over one vitamin or mineral.
What to Look for in a Vitamin and Multivitamin
One of the most important things you need to check for in any vitamin or multivitamin is the dosage. The dosages you see on the bottle should match your doctor’s recommendations.
If your doctor has advised you to avoid a certain vitamin because it can interact with existing medication, double-check the label to ensure that the vitamin is not present. This is especially important to do for multivitamin complexes.
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