Doctors instruct people 65 years and older to get flu shots, eat a high-fiber diet and do strengthening exercises to stay healthy.
But of all the things older people can do, taking nutritional supplements ranks as one of the easiest. It's one thing you can do that's not too hard to do.
That's important, since seniors need to do what they can to protect themselves from heart disease and cancer, the two leading causes of death among people 65 years and older.
Nutritional supplements not only help decrease the risk of certain diseases, but they also fill up what's missing in a typical elderly person's diet. It usually doesn't have a sufficient number of calories to cover the essential nutrients. Older people tend to have a smaller appetite and usually eat only about 1,200 calories of food. Compare that with the 2,000 calories required to follow the food pyramid a recommended diet that includes a healthful balance of foods and the need for supplements is clear.
Vitamin B12
The supplement that nutritionists have been promoting most recently is vitamin B12, which in food depends on stomach acid to be absorbed. However, recent studies have shown that 10 to 30 percent of people 51 years and older have lower amounts of stomach acid, and therefore can't absorb much of the vitamin.
But in supplement form, the vitamin doesn't rely on stomach acid, making supplements a good way to make up for the lack. Otherwise, people who don't get enough of the vitamin can suffer from anemia, other blood-cell disorders, and neurological disorders including memory loss and changes in gait.
Nutritionists recommend that all adults get 2.4 micrograms per day of vitamin B12, which is found mostly in meats. People 51 years of age or older should get most of the vitamin from supplements or fortified cereals.
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