PROBLEMS WITH WEIGHT GAIN? OVER 40?

VITAMINS AFTER 40!

Once you turn 40 (and definitely after turning 50), vitamin supplements become vitally important for your health and endurance. In fact, as we age there are even some illnesses that are more prevalent with increased age that prevent us from accessing our vitamin stores as easily as we once did in our youth. In light of this, there are at least 7 vitamins that you should become familiar with and include or increase in your diet as you age.

#1) Vitamin B12 is an important vitamin for improving energy and mood and is also essential for normal blood and brain function.

This vitamin is usually easy to access because it is found in meat and animal products including chicken, fish, dairy, and eggs, and most children and younger adults are likely to get the B12 they need from food—it’s in B12 is more poorly absorbed as the body ages, typically starting around 50 because that’s when stomach acid levels deplete.

#2) Calcium plays an important role in muscle contraction, transmitting messages through the nerves, and the release of hormones. If a person isn’t getting enough calcium in their diet, the body takes calcium from the bones to ensure normal cell function, which can lead to weakened bones.

Most men and women can get the calcium they need through diet (500 mg daily) up until about age 30, but the need for calcium increases for both men and women (1,000 mg daily between 40 to 50, and up to 1,200 mg for older than 50—even if they eat a well-rounded diet with calcium-rich foods like dairy, tofu, sardines, broccoli, almonds, and spinach).

#3) Vitamin D, in adequate stores, is necessary to help the body absorb calcium and promote bone growth. Too little vitamin D results in soft bones in children (rickets) and fragile, misshapen bones in adults (osteomalacia).

Vitamin D deficiency has now been linked to breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, heart disease, depression, and weight gain, and these studies show that people with higher levels of vitamin D have a lower risk of these diseases.

The new 2010 recommended daily allowance (RDA) is 600 IU for those 1-70 years of age and pregnant or breastfeeding women, and 800 IU for those over 71 years of age. An adequate blood level of vitamin D is 20 nanograms per milliliter, which can be achieved through daily skin exposure to sunlight.

#4) Magnesium is important for energy production and is a cofactor in more than 300 enzyme systems that regulate diverse biochemical reactions in the body, including protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, blood glucose control, blood coagulation, nutrient metabolism, bone and cell formation, and blood pressure regulation.

Magnesium converts vitamin D into its active form so that it can help calcium absorption and help prevent clogged arteries by drawing calcium out of the blood and soft tissues back into the bones where it is needed to build healthy bone structure. The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of magnesium for young adults is around 400 mg/day for men and 310 mg/day for women. For adults over 30, the RDA is 420 mg/day for men and 320 mg/day for women.

#5) Potassium is a mineral that is crucial for life…muscle cells need potassium to grow and the heart depends on potassium to maintain normal electrical activity, and it is also necessary for kidney function and other organs to work normally. Most people who eat a healthy diet should get enough potassium naturally, however many Americans don’t eat a healthy diet and may be deficient in potassium. Low potassium is associated with a risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, cancer, digestive disorders, and infertility.

The Institute of Medicine recommends males and females over the age of 14 consume 4,700 milligrams of potassium per day.

#6) Omega-3 fatty acids are considered essential fatty acids. They are necessary for human health, but the body can’t make them. You have to get them through food. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish, such as salmon, tuna, and halibut, other seafoods including algae and krill, some plants, and nut oils. Also known as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), omega-3 fatty acids play a crucial role in brain function, as well as normal growth and development.

Research shows that omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation and may help lower risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and arthritis. Omega-3 fatty acids are highly concentrated in the brain and appear to be important for cognitive (brain memory and performance) and behavioral function. In fact, infants who do not get enough omega-3 fatty acids from their mothers during pregnancy are at risk for developing vision and nerve problems. Symptoms of omega-3 fatty acid deficiency include fatigue, poor memory, dry skin, heart problems, mood swings or depression, and poor circulation.

Different global organizations recommend varying amounts of EPA/DHA, but most Omega-3 experts recommend that adults should consume about 500 mg of Omega-3 EPA/DHA per day (equivalent to two fatty fish meals per week) to maintain overall good health.

#7) Probiotics (and prebiotics)

The quality of foods that we are fed in our country has decreased severely with the insurgence of artificial ingredients, preservatives, added sugar, and even genetically modified organisms (GMOs) that have been forced into our diets and our homes. Unfortunately, this excess added sugar is known to cause many digestive issues one of which is a YEAST OVERGROWTH in our bodies like that of the Candida yeast, which is known to disrupt the balance of good bacteria.

Studies have shown that prebiotics and probiotics have now been found to support several biological processes that are important for maintaining good digestive health and preventing cancer. Probiotics are groups of millions of good or useful bacteria in the digestive tract. The dynamic populations of these millions of good bacteria are important for absorbing critical nutrients including phytochemicals, impacting several important immune functions and inactivating cancer causing substances. Natural sources of these important bacteria are found in fermented yogurts including Activia and other cultured milk products.

Prebiotics are complex sugars (such as lactulose, lactitol, a variety of fructo-oligosaccharides, and inulin) that are found in high fiber foods (beans, lentils, nuts) that are known to ferment and stimulate the growth of useful bacteria while suppressing the growth and activity of harmful organisms. Other foods that enhance probiotic activity are fermented soy products like tofu, Japanese miso, tempeh, kefir, bananas, garlic and onions.