Call (805) 338-7727 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.

Call (805) 338-7727 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.

Consider These Two Important Vitamin Supplements

Posted by Elana Foxx, July 6, 2021

We all understand the importance of a healthy diet. And because many age-related diseases can be staved off with proper nutrition, your diet becomes even more important as you get older.

But even those who eat the healthiest, most well-rounded diets can become deficient in a few key nutrients. That’s because, as we age, our digestive systems become less efficient at extracting and absorbing nutrients from food. Antacids and some diabetes medications can also impair your absorption of nutrients.

In particular, many older Americans are deficient in vitamins D and B12. Here’s what you need to know about these important nutrients.

Vitamin D. Most of us get enough vitamin D, because our bodies generate it when exposed to sunlight. However, our ability to do that declines with age, so even those who go outdoors regularly can become deficient in vitamin D as they get older.

Unfortunately, deficiency in vitamin D is associated with increased risk of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, and cognitive decline. Vitamin D is also a major factor in bone health, so those who become deficient often suffer more brittle and broken bones. The vitamin also plays a key role in immune health.

Many doctors now recommend vitamin D supplementation to older adults, but you should be careful if you take certain medications. Supplements can interfere with some heart medications, so this is an issue to discuss with your physician before taking action.

If you do begin supplementing with vitamin D, look for D3. It is more efficiently used by the body than vitamin D2.

Vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 comes from animal products, like meat, fish, eggs, and dairy. Unless you live a vegan lifestyle, you probably haven’t ever had a problem with getting enough vitamin B12 in your diet.

But after about age 50, our bodies begin to experience some difficulty with absorbing enough vitamin B12 from foods. And a deficiency in this nutrient has been associated with depression, dementia, cognitive decline, and anemia.

Experts recommend that all adults aim to consume 2.4 micrograms of vitamin B12 daily. But if you’re at increased risk for one of the above health conditions, discuss your concerns with your doctor. You might benefit from increased supplementation.

Taking supplements can help you stay healthy as you get older, but there is no substitute for a healthy diet. Continue to follow your physician’s guidance, and eat a well-rounded diet based upon fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fats.

Need more information on your insurance options?

Contact us online to learn more

Contact Us

Close Accessibility Tools
Accessibility Controls Reset
Content Adjustments
Font Size

Default

Line Height

Default

Content Scaling

Default

Highlight Titles
Highlight Links
Highlight Forms
Align Left
Align Center
Align Right
Focus Mode
Color Adjustments
Desaturate
Monochrome
Contrast

Default

Saturation

Default

Accessibility Statement

Despite our attempts to make this website accessible for everyone, there may still be some pages or sections that are not completely accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or do not have a suitable technological solution to make them accessible. Nevertheless, we are always striving to enhance our accessibility by adding, updating, improving its options and features, and incorporating new technologies.

We want to provide our users with the best experience possible, so we strive to support as many browsers and assistive technologies as possible.

If you wish to contact this website's owner, please use the contact form on the website.

Our User Interface Adjustment Options

Font adjustments - With this tool, users can modify font size, style, letter spacing, and line height for improved alignment and readability.

Color adjustments - Users can customize their color contrast profiles to light, dark, desaturated, and monochrome.

Content highlighting - Users can prioritize key elements such as links, forms, and titles.

Content focus - Users can enable focus mode to highlight the current page information based on their mouse movement.

Close