Getting older can be a tough pill to swallow, but according to a longevity expert, the right supplements can make the process easier.
Supplements aren’t a cure-all, but when taken in conjunction with a healthy diet, they can make a difference. Their role is to feed your body the nutrients you may not be getting from your food, especially as you age.
It would be wonderful if we all ate all our fruits and vegetables, our whole grains, and our lean proteins and had everything we needed from our food supply, but unfortunately, our food supply sometimes isn’t either. the highest quality, Kara Burnstine, a nutrition educator at the Pritikin Longevity Center, told Fortune. So we could be doing a lot of good things and not getting all the nutrients from food.
He shared the top five supplements people should take to support health and longevity.
calcium
Before age 50, people should get 1,200 milligrams of calcium per day and up to 1,500 milligrams per day after age 50.
The body needs calcium to build and maintain healthy bones. The heart, muscles and nerves also need calcium to function properly, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Burnstine recommends that people take a calcium supplement if they don’t get enough from their diet, but that’s not all.
In addition to the calcium supplement, I’ll also recommend that you get at least two servings of dairy or eat lots of green leafy vegetables and do resistance training, which protects your bones more than anything else, he said.
Vitamin D
The body does not produce vitamin D naturally, so people need to source the vitamin from the sun, food, or dietary supplements.
People under 70 have a daily requirement of 600 IU, rising to 800 IU after 70.
As we age, most of us no longer absorb vitamin D as well, Burnstine shared.
A vitamin D supplement could be just what your health needs, as it helps the body build healthy bones. Vitamin D is also anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and supports immune health, muscle function and is neuroprotective, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Probiotics
Having poor gut health can lead to stomach upset, fatigue, skin conditions and autoimmune problems, according to Healthline.
Probiotics can help you balance the good bacteria in your gut that keep you healthy and keep the bad bacteria at bay.
We know that if our gut health is good, everything else follows, in terms of inflammation, brain fog, weight loss, sleep, depression. Our gut is tied to almost everything, Burstine explained.
People can get probiotics from fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, kombucha, miso, tempeh, and kimchi, as well as supplements.
Taking a supplement helps create that diversity and a large population of probiotics in the gut to help us stay healthy, lose weight and lower our cholesterol, he said.
magnesium
People over the age of 30 should get 320 to 420 milligrams of magnesium each day.
Magnesium is important for mood, sleep, nervous system regulation, muscle health, overall energy and even DNA repair, according to Healthline.
People low in magnesium tend to have higher depression, Burnstine said.
People with lower magnesium levels also have a higher risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis.
Magnesium supplements can be beneficial, but some work better for some patients than others. Burnstine said to consult a doctor about which supplement is right for you.
For example, you can take magnesium carbonate, but you can also take something called magnesium glycinate, which is a little easier on the stomach, he said.
multivitamin
Multivitamins are an easy way to get a variety of nutrients in one place.
I always say a multivitamin is like an insurance policy. I would recommend a general multivitamin at any age, Burnstine said.
He recommends that people check for a USP symbol on their multivitamin, which is essentially a sign that what they’re taking matches what’s on the bottle and meets a quality approval rating.
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