If you’re over the age of 50, chances are you have to take supplements to keep you in good shape. With how many supplements there are, it can be hard to tell which ones are actually good for you.
In this blog, I will be covering the supplements to avoid if you’re over the age of 50.
4 Supplements to Avoid If You’re Over 50
Calcium
I don’t recommend supplementing with calcium because it’s easily absorbed and obtained through food. Just getting a good diet with balanced vegetables gives you all of the calcium you need already.
The Journal of the American Heart Association found that people who took calcium for longer than 10 years were more likely to accumulate artery plaque.
Calcium forms deposits inside of the body, especially if you are lacking the proper fat-soluble vitamins to move it to where it needs to go.
Vitamin D3 removes calcium from the blood and puts it in the tissue; then vitamin K2 moves it onward to our bones.
A lot of people consume too much calcium and not enough vitamin D and K. Whether it be through dairy products, milk, or supplements, many of us are getting 600-1200 milligrams of calcium a day.
We may be trying to consume calcium to prevent conditions like osteoporosis, but it also takes a heavy toll on our arteries and heart.
If you want more calcium but want to avoid directly supplementing it, you can take a multivitamin or an electrolyte powder that has small amounts of it.
If you want to start to balance the amount of calcium in your body, I recommend taking vitamin D3 and K2 supplements together. I actually made a powder that combines both of these, which you can find here.
Doing this will improve the health of your arteries, and reduce the amount of stiffness in your body.
Iron
Many people take iron supplements because they’re at risk for anemia and have low blood cell counts. Unfortunately, this can have negative health impacts.
The Mayo Clinic reports that excessive iron intake may actually lead to a buildup of iron in your organs. This can lead to a variety of problems such as diabetes, heart issues, and liver dysfunction.
The recommended daily allowance of iron for women under 50 is 18 milligrams, but as soon as you’re over the age of 50, it drops to 8 milligrams. Iron is especially important for women on their menstrual cycle because they’re losing a lot of blood and need to replace the iron they lose. Once they hit menopause, they no longer need as much iron.
As you age, you need 2 ½ times less iron, which is likely why many get more iron than they need.
If you want to know if you’re at risk of too much iron in your system, you can take a blood test to measure your ferritin levels. High ferritin has been tied to increased stroke risks. Keep in mind that if you have an infection, it can raise ferritin levels for a short amount of time.
One solution to high iron levels is donating blood. When you donate blood, your iron levels will start to go down.
Ideally, you should try to get your ferritin number below 150. Don’t take iron supplements if you’re over the age of 50; instead, try to get adequate amounts of iron through meats and nuts.
Soy-based Supplements
Soy is the number one most genetically modified organism on the planet, which means it’s highly processed.
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition followed 76,000 women for an 11-year-long period of time.
The study found an increased risk of estrogen-based breast cancers linked to the consumption of soy-based products, foods, and supplements.
You want to avoid soy-based supplements, especially if you’re a woman with a family history of breast cancer. Anything with soy has higher levels of estrogen, which may increase your risk of estrogen-based cancers.
Copper
Copper is a metal often found in minerals and supplements that tends to congest the body and settle in the cells and arteries.
There’s scientific evidence that high levels of copper are linked to Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, and other age-related disorders.
We do need some copper in our system. If you’re taking high amounts of vitamin D or zinc, you may want to take copper with it. Copper and iron are both essential nutrients to life and actually benefit reproductive health in younger people.
After the age of 50 however, these metals can actually damage your cells. In order to keep a good balance, you should be getting small amounts of copper in, potentially through food.
If you are taking copper supplements, I recommend taking them with zinc, which will level out the amount of copper in your body. If you’re taking 30-50 mg of zinc, it’s a good idea to take some copper to have a good balance.
If you want zinc in a supplement, you can check out my vitamin D3 and a K2 supplement, which comes with zinc included.
Summary
The amount of nutrients your body needs is about balance. You can identify some signs that will tell you if you have too much of something. One of these signs is feeling old and stiff.
If you want to know more about how to start undoing stiffness and live a healthier lifestyle, check out my video that covers it here.
References:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161011182621.htm
https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/109/3/597/5369466?login=false
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6359419/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100120113553.htm
