Should Seniors Take Vitamins?

SHOULD SENIORS TAKE VITAMINS?

68 percent of all Americans aged 65 and older take vitamin supplements. But do they really need to? Well, it’s complicated.

Dietary supplements may have a positive impact on day to day health and well-being, however, the evidence for benefits much more beyond that is debatable. Vitamins won’t stop the aging process. What’s more, often, benefits from these supplements are relatively easy to obtain with minor dietary changes ~ eating right and exercising means you may not need to take a vitamin supplement. Swapping off from the supplements also helps to cull the pill burden many seniors face.

So if simple dietary changes are all that is required, why is there still such a high prevalence among seniors on taking these supplements? As we age these ‘simple and minor’ changes can get difficult to actually implement. A fixed income makes spending more for fresh produce less feasible, and both the advancing years as well as side-effects of many medications cause a reduced appetite. Where dietary changes are difficult, a dietary supplement can be a responsible, reasonable solution.

There are many pros and cons of taking vitamin supplements, but at the end of the day, each person’s situation is unique. Whether or not you should take them depends on you.

Read More:

https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/news/20121130/older-adults-vitamins-supplements##1

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/seniors-taking-vitamin-supplements#The-right-reasons