Vitamins and Supplements for Seniors

There is so much information related to vitamin and supplement benefits that it can cause an information overload and some confusion. Supplements are a way to make up for a diet that may not be giving you the nutrients you need for a healthy body.

Bone Loss

Based on a study published in 2007, showed that long-term ingestion of Genistein could increase bone density and may be helpful in offsetting cardiovascular risk factors in older women. The study took place over the course of two years. At the end of the study, the group that was given genistein, a phytoestrogen in soybeans, showed increased bone density in their spines, although they also had more gastrointestinal side effects.

VItamins for Healthy Bones

• Vitamin C
• Vitamin D

Diabetes

A British study conducted in 2007 , found that fiber from fenugreek seeds, which have a long history of use in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine for diabetes,  helped regulate sugar absorption and insulin action in diabetic male rats. The study found that the fenugreek seed fiber was to inhibit carbohydrate digestion and absorption.

In a similar study conducted by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that salacia oblonga root extract helped control elevated blood glucose response in people with type II diabetes after a high-car meal.

Heart Related

A study conducted by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute found that garlic may work to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. The hydrogen sulfide in garlic was found to induce smooth muscle cell relaxation. The study showed a mechanism by which garlic works to lower cardiovascular disease.

Vitamins for Fighting Heart Disease

• Vitamin D
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Aging and Energy

Your energy level is a good indicator of your overall health. Coenzyme Q10 is a vitamin like nutrient that is needed to make energy in every cell in your body. The heart and the brain are the most energetic tissues that require the greatest need of Coenzyme Q10. . High doses of Coenzyme Q10 have been used to reverse heart muscle disease and heart failure.

Carnitine and related molecules work closely with CoQ10 to boost cell function and in energy production. Studies show the carnitine supplements can significantly reduce mental and physical fatigue.

Supplements can reduce gene damage. Vitamin B12, folic acid, and vitamins B2 and B3 are key in keeping our genes on track as we age. It is recommended to take a high potency B complex or multivitamin supplement every day.

Cancer

DNA repair is a key step in reducing your risks of having cancer. Cat's claw, a tropical rain forest plant, stimulates the repair of DNA. Multivitamins may protect against the DNA damage that comes with aging.

VItamins for fighting Cancer

• Vitamin D

Bones, Skin and Tissues

Vitamin C is needed to keep your bones strong and keeps your skin healthy as well as other tissues of your body. Due to a mutation millions of years ago, humans do not make their own Vitamin C. Supplements enable seniors to achieve optimal level of Vitamin C. High levels of Vitamin C is associated with longer life span and helps individuals recover from diseases that would normally shorten life expectancy such as cancer.

VItamins for Skin

• Vitamin C

Immune System

Our ability to fight illness and disease becomes more important as we age. Keeping our selves healthy to fight off any disease that comes our way should be a major goal. Selenium is critically important to our immune systems. Mortality rates in individuals with low selenium levels is significantly higher.

About Antioxidants

The best known antioxidants are vitamins C and E. Antioxidants neutralize oxidation which is the formation of cell-damaging free radicals. You can get your antioxidants from eating fruits and vegetables.