Anti-Aging Supplements
Is taking supplements beneficial? Visit your local
supermarket, drugstore or health food store and you will find rows
upon rows of vitamins and supplements. Each is minutely measured giving
you the RDAs, DVs, IUs, milligrams and so on. It’s enough information
to make your head swim!
Some studies suggest that specific vitamin and mineral
supplements can help reduce your risk of heart disease by 30 to 40
percent and even slow the progress of the disease according to Jeffrey
Blumberg, M.D. associate director and chief of the Antioxidants Research
Laboratory at the U.D. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research
Center on Aging in Boston. They are relatively inexpensive and easy
to obtain over the counter.
Vitamins are also credited with boosting the immune
system and it is believed that older people who take vitamin and mineral
supplements do have stronger immune systems.
Generally speaking, the immune system begins to decline
around age 50 and by age 60 may already be seriously compromised.
The belief is that if your immune system can’t protect you,
the door is thrown wide open for cancer and other serious diseases
to waltz right in.
So, the answer is yes, supplements can help but don’t
expect them to work miracles. You can’t continue to do the steak
and eggs or burger and fries thing and think that popping a pill will
be a cure-all because it isn’t!
If you are over 55, vitamin supplements will help
prevent disease even though it may take at least six months to a year
to register the improvement. That’s not an excuse to put it
off, because the sooner you begin, the better the results.
Let’s take a look at weight for instance. If
you take in too many calories and gain weight you increase the risk
of cancer, heart disease and stroke. But, cutting the calories to
either lose or maintain your weight may result in deficiencies in
vitamins and minerals. You can replace key vitamins and minerals lost
by dieting with carefully selected supplements.
Another challenge is compensating as the body’s
systems begin to slow down. As we age, our systems are not working
as efficiently as they once were. For example, you don’t have
as much stomach acid that helps to get nutrients from food. That means
that as much as 40% of the nutrients you ingest may go unused resulting
in deficiencies of vitamins D, B6, B12, riboflavin, folate and calcium.
Your body’s system for storing the nutrients
isn’t as efficient either because the percentage of body fat
increases with age. While your metabolism keeps you alive and healthy,
it also produces by products that can be harmful including free radicals
and other compounds that cause damage to cells’ DNA and can
lead to many of the effects of old age.
As we get older, the body reduces the amount of antioxidants
it produces and it will become more difficult to get enough antioxidant
protection just from your food. Although you can get most of the nutrients
you need from a multi-vitamin, you may want to take extra supplements
of certain vitamins and minerals to promote optimum health.
As a cautionary measure, however, make certain that
you are not exceeding the recommended ranges. You can get too much
of a good thing. It is also advisable to consult with your physician
regarding any supplemental regimen as some supplements may have adverse
interaction with certain medications you are taking.
While we won’t delve into the vast subject of
supplements here, there are a few suggestions we would like to share
with you.
Avoid multi-vitamins with time release formulas. By
the time they dissolve they may be too far down the intestinal tract
where absorption is poor.
Store your vitamins away from hot or humid places.
It is better to keep them with your spices rather than the bathroom
or near direct sunlight or heat.
Take your vitamins with a meal. Some nutrients are
only released with fat so taking them with your low-fat meal is optimum.
Check the expiration date on the bottle. Buying a
large amount just to save a few dollars isn’t a bargain if you
won’t be using them before their effectiveness expires.
If you drink even moderately, take extra vitamins
and minerals.
If you want to lose weight, take more calcium. If
you don’t consume enough calcium your body will over produce
calcitriol. This hormone promotes fat storage in the body. B
But, calcium supplements won’t be as beneficial
as dietary calcium. Have four daily servings of nonfat or low-fat
dairy products.
Supplement Smartly For Better Health
Choose a high quality multivitamin.
Check the expiration date to make sure you will use
it all in time.
Add an antioxidant supplement that contains 100 to
400 IU of vitamin E, 250 to 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C, 6 to 20
milligrams of beta-carotene, plus 70 to 100 micrograms of selenium.
Add a calcium supplement or be sure to get enough
calcium through your diet. For women over age 50 and men over 65,
take a total of 1,500 milligrams per day (1,000 milligrams a day for
med aged 60 to 65). Be sure and take calcium in divided doses so that
it is fully absorbed.
Buy a product that has equal percentages of the daily
value for copper and zinc.
Choose a multivitamin that contains little or no iron.
Take your multivitamin and antioxidant supplements
with meals or low-fat snacks to get the full benefit of fat and water
soluble vitamins.
Buy dairy products that are fortified with vitamin
D.
Do not take doses larger than those recommended by
experts or without approval from your doctor.
Don’t take calcium and your multivitamin supplement
together.
Don’t take calcium without checking with your
doctor if you are on tetracycline.
Don’t over consume magnesium products like certain
laxatives, antacids and pain relievers if you have kidney problems.
Don’t increase your consumption of supplements
without checking with your doctor first, especially if you are on
other medications.
Use supplements like the ones below which have specific
anti-aging benefits
Human
Growth Hormone (HGH) Supplements
Rejuvenation Pack™
Anti-Aging Superfoods
Anti-Aging Vitamins
Antioxidant Supplements
Bee Pollen Extracts
Green Tea
DHEA
Bilberry Complex w/Lutein
for Vision
