Getting older can be a tough pill to swallow, but according to a longevity expert, the right supplements can ease the process.
Supplements aren’t a cure-all, but when taken alongside 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 get older.
“It would be wonderful if we all ate all our fruits and vegetables and our whole grains and our lean proteins and got everything that we needed from the food supply, but unfortunately, our food supply is sometimes not the highest quality either,” Kara Burnstine, a nutrition educator at the Pritikin Longevity Center, told Fortune. “So we could be doing a lot of the good things and not be getting all of the nutrients from the food.”
She shared the top five supplements people should be taking to support health and longevity.
Calcium
Before the age of 50, people should be getting 1,200 milligrams of calcium per day and up to 1,500 milligrams a day after they turn 50.
The body needs calcium to build and maintain healthy bones. The heart, muscles and nerves also need calcium to work properly, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Burnstine recommends people take a calcium supplement if they aren’t getting enough from their diet — but that’s not all.
“In addition to the calcium supplement, I’m also going to recommend that you get at least two servings of dairy or that you eat a lot of green leafy vegetables, and you do resistance training, which protects bones more than anything else,” she said.
Vitamin D
The body doesn’t make vitamin D naturally, so people need to outsource the vitamin from the sun, food or dietary supplements.
People under 70 have a daily requirement of 600 IU, which goes up 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 the thing your health needs since it helps the body build healthy bones. Vitamin D is also anti-inflammatory, an antioxidant and supportive of immune health, muscle function and is neuroprotective, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Probiotics
Having poor gut health can lead to an upset stomach, fatigue, skin conditions and autoimmune problems, according to Healthline.
Probiotics can help you balance the good bacteria in your gut that keeps you healthy and keep out the bad bacteria.
“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 just about everything,” Burstine explained.
People can get probiotics from fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, kombucha, miso, tempeh and kimchi, as well as from supplements.
“Taking a supplement helps create that diversity and huge population of probiotics in the gut to help us be healthy, lose weight, and lower our cholesterol,” she said.
Magnesium
People over 30 should be getting 320 to 420 milligrams of magnesium every day.
Magnesium is important for mood, sleep, nervous system regulation, muscle health, overall energy and even DNA repair, according to Healthline.
“People who are low in magnesium tend to have higher depression,” said Burnstine.
People with subpar 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 what supplement is right for you.
“For example, you could take a magnesium carbonate, but you could also take something called magnesium glycinate, which is slightly easier on the stomach,” she said.
Multivitamin
Multivitamins are an easy way to get a variety of nutrients in one place.
“I always say that a multivitamin is sort of like an insurance policy. I would recommend a general multivitamin at any age,” Burnstine said.
She recommends people check for a USP symbol on their multivitamin, which is essentially a sign that what you are taking matches what’s listed on the bottle and that it meets an approval rating for quality.
Rachel Carter is a health and wellness expert dedicated to helping readers lead healthier lives. With a background in nutrition, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being.
