Dietary Supplements for Older Adults - National Institute on ...

Dietary supplements are substances you might use to add nutrients to your diet or to lower your risk of health problems such as osteoporosis ... Skiptomaincontent Breadcrumb Home HealthInformation DietarySupplementsforOlderAdults DietarySupplementsforOlderAdults Dietarysupplementscanbebeneficialatanyage,buttheycanalsohaveunwantedsideeffects,suchasunsafeprescriptiondruginteractions.Theycouldalsonotworkatall. It’simportanttounderstandthesupplementsyouaretakingandwhyyouaretakingthem.Talkwithyourdoctorifyouareconsideringtakingasupplement. Onthispage: Whatisadietarysupplement? Dietarysupplementsaresubstancesyoumightusetoaddnutrientstoyourdietortoloweryourriskofhealthproblemssuchasosteoporosisorarthritis.Dietarysupplementscomeintheformofpills,capsules,powders,gelcapsulesandtablets,extracts,orliquids.Theymightcontainvitamins,minerals,fiber,aminoacids,herbsorotherplants,orenzymes.Sometimes,theingredientsindietarysupplementsareaddedtofoodsanddrinks.Adoctor’sprescriptionisnotneededtobuydietarysupplements. ShouldItakeadietarysupplement? Eatingavarietyofhealthyfoodsisthebestwaytogetthenutrientsyouneed.However,somepeoplemaynotgetenoughvitaminsandmineralsfromtheirdailydiet.Whenthat’sthecase,theirdoctorsmayrecommendadietarysupplementtoprovidemissingnutrients. Ifyouarethinkingaboutusingdietarysupplements: Learn.Findoutasmuchasyoucanaboutanydietarysupplementyoumighttake.Talkwithyourdoctor,pharmacist,oraregistereddietitian.Asupplementthatseemedtohelpyourneighbormightnotworkforyou.Ifyouarereadingfactsheetsorcheckingwebsites,beawareofthesourceoftheinformation.Couldthewriterorgroupprofitfromthesaleofaparticularsupplement?Readmoreaboutchoosingreliablehealthinformationwebsites. Remember.Justbecausesomethingissaidtobe“natural”doesn’tmeanitissafeorgoodforyou.Itcouldhavesideeffects.Itmightmakeamedicineyourdoctorprescribedforyoueitherweakerorstronger.Itcouldalsobeharmfultoyouifyouhavecertainmedicalconditions. Tellyourdoctor.Beforedecidingtostarttakingadietarysupplementtotreatanyhealthcondition,checkwithyourdoctor.Donottakeasupplementtotrytodiagnoseortreatanyhealthconditionwithoutfirstcheckingwithyourdoctor.Learnhowmedicationscaninteractwithdietarysupplements.Formoreinformation,visittheNationalCenterforComplementaryandIntegrativeHealth. Buywisely.Choosebrandsthatyourdoctor,dietitian,orpharmacistrecommend.Don’tbuydietarysupplementswithingredientsyoudon’tneed.Don’tassumethatmoreisbetter—itcanactuallybeharmfultotaketoomanysupplementsorthosewithaveryhighconcentrationofanutrient.Itispossibletowastemoneyonunneededsupplements. Checkthescience.Makesureanyclaimaboutadietarysupplementisbasedonscientificproof.LookfortheUnitedStatesPharmacopeia(USP)verifiedmark.USPverifiestheidentity,quality,strength,andpurityofsupplements.InformationonsomedietarysupplementsisavailableonMedlinePlus,butit’simportanttonotethatmostsupplementslistedhavelimitedevidenceofanybenefit.Ifsomethingsoundstoogoodtobetrue,itprobablyis. Beasavvyconsumer.Someadvertisementsfordietarysupplementsinmagazines,online,oronTVpromisethatsomeoftheseproductswillmakeyoufeelbetter,keepyoufromgettingsick,orevenhelpyoulivelonger.It’simportanttoknowthatoften,thereislittle,ifany,sciencesupportingtheseclaims. Dietarysupplementsforolderadults Peopleoverage50mayneedmoreofsomevitaminsandmineralsthanyoungeradultsdo.Yourdoctororadietitiancantellyouwhetheryouneedtochangeyourdietortakeavitaminormineralsupplementtogetenoughofthese: Calcium:CalciumworkswithvitaminDtokeepbonesstrongatallages.Bonelosscanleadtofracturesinbotholderwomenandmen.Calciumisfoundinmilkandmilkproducts(fat-freeorlow-fatisbest),cannedfishwithsoftbones,dark-greenleafyvegetableslikekale,andfoodswithcalciumadded,suchasbreakfastcereals. VitaminD:MostpeopleintheUnitedStatesconsumelessthanrecommendedamountsofvitaminD.TalkwithyourdoctoraboutaddingvitaminD-fortifiedmilkandmilkproducts,vitaminD-fortifiedcereals,andfattyfishtoyourdiet,orusingavitaminDsupplement. VitaminB6:Thisvitaminisneededtoformredbloodcells.Itisfoundinpotatoes,bananas,chickenbreasts,andfortifiedcereals. VitaminB12:Thishelpskeepyourredbloodcellsandnerveshealthy.WhileolderadultsneedjustasmuchvitaminB12asotheradults,somehavetroubleabsorbingthevitaminnaturallyfoundinfood.Ifyouhavethisproblem,yourdoctormayrecommendthatyoueatfoodslikefortifiedcerealswiththisvitaminadded,ortakeaB12supplement.StrictvegetariansandvegansareatgreaterriskofdevelopingvitaminB12deficiencybecausenaturalfoodsourcesofvitaminB12arelimitedtoanimalfoods.TalkwithyourdoctoraboutwhethertakingaB12supplementisrightforyou. Vitaminandmineralrecommendationsforpeopleover50 TheDietaryGuidelinesforAmericans,2020-2025(PDF,30.9M)recommendshowmuchofeachvitaminandmineralmenandwomenofdifferentagesneed.Forexample: VitaminB12:2.4mcg(micrograms)eachday.Ifyouaretakingmedicineforacidreflux,youmightneedadifferentform,whichyourhealthcareprovidercangiveyouinformationabout. Calcium:Womenoverage50need1,200mg(milligrams)eachday.Menneed1,000mgbetweenage51and70and1,200mgafter70,butnotmorethan2,000mgaday. VitaminD:600IU(InternationalUnits)forpeopleage51to70and800IUforthoseover70,butnotmorethan4,000IUeachday. VitaminB6:1.7mgformenand1.5mgforwomeneachday. Sometimes,toomuchofavitaminormineralcanbeharmful.Mostifnotallofyourdailyvitaminsandmineralsshouldcomefromfood.Whenthinkingaboutwhetheryouneedmoreofavitaminormineral,thinkabouthowmuchofeachnutrientyougetfromfoodanddrinks,aswellasfromanysupplementsyoutake.Checkwithadoctorordietitiantolearnwhetheryouneedtosupplementyourdiet. Foracomprehensivelistofvitaminandmineralintakelevelsforolderadults,visitNIA’sarticleonvitaminsandmineralsortheDietaryGuidelinesforAmericans,2020-2025(PDF,30.9M). Whatareantioxidants? Youmighthearaboutantioxidantsinthenews.Thesearenaturalsubstancesinfoodthatmighthelpprotectyoufromsomediseases.Herearesomecommonantioxidantsthatyoushouldbesuretoincludeinyourdiet: Beta-carotene:Foundinfruitsandvegetablesthatareeitherdarkgreenordarkorange Selenium:Foundinseafood,liver,meat,andgrains VitaminC:Foundincitrusfruits,peppers,tomatoes,andberries VitaminE:Foundinwheatgerm,nuts,andsesameseeds;andcanola,olive,andpeanutoils Currently,researchresultssuggestthatlargedosesofsupplementswithantioxidantswillnotpreventchronicdiseasessuchasheartdiseaseordiabetes.Infact,somestudieshaveshownthattakinglargedosesofsomeantioxidantscouldbeharmful.Again,itisbesttocheckwithyourdoctorbeforetakingadietarysupplement. Herbalsupplementsandolderadults Herbalsupplementsaredietarysupplementsthatcomefromplants.Thesetypesofsupplementsaretakenbymouth,whetherit’sbyacapsule,tablet,powder,orliquid. Afewthatyoumayhaveheardofareginkgobiloba,ginseng,echinacea,andblackcohosh.Researchersarelookingatusingherbalsupplementstopreventortreatsomehealthproblems,butit’stooearlytoknowifthesearebothsafeanduseful.Previousstudiesofcertainherbalsupplementshavenotshownanybenefits. It’simportanttoknowthatjustbecauseasupplementisnatural,orcomesfromplants,thatdoesn’tnecessarilymeanit’ssafe. HowcanItrackmymedicationsanddietarysupplements? Youmaybetakingahandfulofdifferentmedicines,dietarysupplements,orover-the-counterdrugs.Usethisformtohelpkeeptrackofyourmedications.Bringacompletedandupdatedcopyofthisformtoeveryappointmentwithyourdoctor. Trackyourmedicationsordietarysupplementswiththisform(PDF,56K). Aredietarysupplementssafe? TheU.S.FoodandDrugAdministration(FDA)checksprescriptionmedicines,suchasantibioticsorbloodpressuredrugs,tomakesuretheyaresafeanddowhattheypromise.Thesameistrueforover-the-counterdrugssuchaspainandcoldmedicines.However,theFDAdoesnothaveauthorityoverdietarysupplements,whichdonothavetobeapprovedbythisagencyforsafetyorefficacybeforebeingsoldtothepublic. Thefederalgovernmentdoesnotregularlytestwhatisindietarysupplements,andcompaniesarenotrequiredtoshareinformationaboutthesafetyoftheseproductswiththeFDAbeforetheysellthem.So,justbecauseadietarysupplementisonastoreshelf,thatdoesnotmeanitissafe,doeswhatthelabelsaysitwill,orcontainswhatthelabelstates. IftheFDAreceivesreportsofpossibleproblemswithasupplement,itwillissuewarningsabouttheproduct.TheFDAmayalsotakesupplementsthatarefoundtobeunsafeoffthemarket. TheFederalTradeCommissioninvestigatesreportsofadsthatmightmisrepresentwhatdietarysupplementsdo.Afewprivategroups,suchastheU.S.Pharmacopeia,NSFInternational,ConsumerLab.com,andtheNaturalProductsAssociation,havetheirown“sealsofapproval”fordietarysupplements.Toearnsuchaseal,productsmustbemadebyfollowinggoodmanufacturingprocedures,mustcontainwhatislistedonthelabel,andmustnothaveharmfullevelsofingredientsthatdon’tbelongthere,suchaslead. Whetheryoutakedietarysupplementsornot,it’sstillimportanttofollowahealthylifestyle.Trystickingtoahealthydiet,beingphysicallyactive,keepingyourmindactive,notsmoking,andseeingyourdoctorregularly. ReadaboutthistopicinSpanish.Leasobreestetemaenespañol. Formoreinformationaboutdietarysupplements OfficeofDietarySupplements                                    NationalInstitutesofHealth 301-435-2920 [email protected] www.ods.od.nih.gov NationalCenterforComplementaryandIntegrative Health 888-644-6226 866-464-3615(TTY) [email protected] www.nccih.nih.gov DepartmentofAgriculture                                          FoodandNutritionInformationCenter           301-504-5414 [email protected] www.nal.usda.gov/fnic FederalTradeCommission 877-382-4357 866-653-4261(TTY) www.consumer.ftc.gov U.S.FoodandDrugAdministration CenterforFoodSafetyandAppliedNutrition 888-723-3366 https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/office-foods-and-veterinary-medicine/center-food-safety-and-applied-nutrition-cfsan MedlinePlus NIHNationalLibraryofMedicine       www.medlineplus.gov DietaryGuidelinesforAmericans (703)305-2881 [email protected] https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/ UnitedStatesPharmacopeia(USP) 301-881-0666 800-227-8772 www.usp.org ThiscontentisprovidedbytheNIHNationalInstituteonAging(NIA).NIAscientistsandotherexpertsreviewthiscontenttoensureitisaccurateanduptodate. 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