The Big 4 – Essential Supplements Over 50

Supplements for Over-50s

Lots of possibilities – 4 essentials

If you are over 50, there are the essential vitamins minerals and supplements you need in order to support health, then there are lots of other possibilities used to reduce inflammation and enhance your protection against life threatening illness.

This post is about the essential minimum 4 you need.

The 4 essentials are 

1. A multivitamin preparation that doesn’t contain iron.

2. Additional magnesium

3. A protein supplement

4. Creatine

Why do you need Supplements?

As we age, our ability to absorb nutrients decreases and we can be short of essentials like B12, the other B group vitamins, magnesium, zinc and trace elements such as selenium, copper, manganese and molybdenum. 

If you are not outdoors a great deal, you will need a small daily dose of Vitamin D3.

We eat less and we absorb protein poorly when older, so we don’t support tissue repair properly.

The aging problems of Frailty, Dementia, Neurodegenerative disease and Hormone Deficiency potentially affect us all. These supplements are simple protective strategies, alongside your exercise, nutrition and healthcare choices

What Not to Take 

You get enough Vitamin C from a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables.

High-dose Vitamin D3 is of no proven benefit unless advised by a specialist in specific circumstances.

Aspirin should not be taken regularly without a doctor's recommendation as the risk of bleeding into the brain may outweigh benefits. 

Only menstruating women or vegans need iron supplementation. Too much iron is toxic to the liver.

The importance of Multivitamins

It is difficult for over 50’s to cover all the B vitamins, D3, the minerals magnesium and zinc or all the trace elements by dietary intake. The good news is that a good multivitamin does all of these for you in one pill or 2 capsules. It doesn’t cover your Magnesium need, however, so you must take this in addition. 

Although most people eating a diet with adequate fruit and vegetables will get enough B6 [folate] those with poor appetite or intake should supplement. It is important not to overdose and to take B12 as well [high folate and low B12 is neurotoxic].

Only one multivitamin brand has been shown to have specific benefits above dietary completeness:  Centrum Men's Silver over 50, which is also appropriate for women. It has shown benefits on memory retention in a randomised trial versus placebo. 

The memory retention was equivalent to preventing 3 years of age related loss. Cataract severity was also reduced.

Which multivitamin and what ingredients?

Choose your preparation carefully. Large tablet or two capsules? Don’t pay way over the odds. Does it contain the essential vitamins A, C, D, E, K, fully represent the B group, have the important minerals calcium, phosphorus, iodine, magnesium, zinc, at or above the recommended daily intake [RDA or RDI] and some trace elements eg selenium, copper, chromium? 

The RDI is usually displayed on the label on the back and this will be visible online before you buy. Adequate Zinc is around 15mg in older individuals, D3 20mcg/ 800 iu, and B12 a dose of 2.5mcg. Folate [B9] intake is 400mcg. 

Consumer labs has a thorough review. One of the most important considerations is ‘do not by gummies’(1) 

[the NIH in USA issues tables eg https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK56068/table/summarytables.t2/?report=objectonly]

Centrum Silver is a US preparation and the UK version is not the same composition. 

It is impossible to say which of the many ingredients in the pill achieved the memory protection so, for myself, I source the US version online. 

If you pick a UK product you will still be covering all the bases but perhaps not affecting cognition to the same degree. 

Special Circumstances for Supplementation

The use of a multivitamin like this is for ‘prevention’ in the whole population. When there is a specific disease process eg if you have cancer, higher doses may be needed. 

In cancer optimising supplements and adding a larger dose of Vit D [say 1000-2000 iu daily] is prudent [ask your oncologist if IV vitamin supplements are needed], in inflammatory bowel disease more vitamin D is commonly recommended. 

In a neurological issue such as MCI/ Dementia or Parkinson’s Disease you require higher doses of B12, B6, Vitamin D, magnesium, and possibly B1. Because this is a complex subject (2) your physician should test vitamin levels such as B12 and B6 and advise. 

What about B12 testing for us all? 

Because B12 absorption goes down for everyone with age but unpredictably, I favour routine B12 testing over age 60. Testing for D3, however, is tricky as the available laboratory test doesn’t measure the active form of D3 and is therefore an indirect and probably unreliable estimate. The scientific/ medical community is starting to move away from D3 measurement. Other vitamins such as B6 may be measured in neurological disease.

Protein Requirements

As you age, protein absorption is less efficient so intake has to increase. 

Daily intake must be higher than recommended for youngsters; up to 1.5-2g of protein per Kg body weight.(3)   This ensures maintenance of muscle mass and adequate tissue repair. 

So if you are 60 KG that equates to 120g protein a day. A chicken breast or similar piece of meat, or tin of tuna is approximately 25-30 g. If you eat 4 chicken breasts every day you are on target. 

As I expect you don’t do that the answer is to have two meals with good protein content [remember eggs, milk, cheese and pulses are all good sources too] and supplement with a protein drink of 25 g twice a day as well. 

You can buy ready made protein shakes but check that they are low in calories and not stuffed with sugar. Alternatively and more cheaply buy bulk whey protein and mix it yourself. 

Whey powder is available online and at most supermarkets. I find the chocolate flavour the least challenging but each to his own.

Creatine and Resistance Training

Creatine is an essential part of the energy supply mechanism for cells and consequently critical for muscle and brain function. 

Your ability to produce enough creatine in both of these diminishes over 50, so a supplement is a major health contribution. There is good evidence that it supports muscle mass in men and women (4) , (5) , and enhances the benefit of resistance training [which you should be doing in some form, and I discuss elsewhere]. It also has some beneficial cognitive impact(6). 

There are no adverse effects and the simplest way to take it is a small 5 g scoop of creatine monohydrate powder dissolved in warm water or a warm drink, or sprinkled on food. When you have blood chemistry measured your creatinine may be slightly raised, tell the doctor you are taking creatine and they won’t think you have a kidney problem.

Magnesium Supplementation

Between 20 and 30% of older adults are relatively magnesium deficient. Magnesium is involved in a multiplicity of neurological mechanisms which is why it is on this Big Four list. The dose in a multivitamin tablet is too low for over 50’s needs. 400-600 mg a day is needed. Take it at bedtime as it helps relax and makes some folk sleepy. The formulation is important. Magnesium sulphate is a laxative, so not that one. The oxide is poorly absorbed so is not useful  All the organic salts like the citrate , glycinate, taurate, succinate are well absorbed. Do not believe the online mythology that you can rub it in through your skin. There are no downsides

Immune Support

This is provided by the adequate zinc and B group vitamins in your multivitamin and the additional magnesium. The role of B12 and B6 [folate] in immune health is discussed by Mikkelsen (7)


The take home message here is that these Big Four cover your most important needs. The other options are available are for more nuanced, individual solutions.

1. https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/multivitamin-review-comparisons/multivitamins/

 
2.Rekik A, Santoro C, Poplawska-Domaszewicz K, Qamar MA, Batzu L, Landolfo S, Rota S, Falup-Pecurariu C, Murasan I, Chaudhuri KR. Parkinson's disease and vitamins: a focus on vitamin B12. J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2024 Dec;131(12):1495-1509. doi: 10.1007/s00702-024-02769-z. Epub 2024 Apr 11. PMID: 38602571; PMCID: PMC11608379.

 
3.Baum JI, Kim IY, Wolfe RR. Protein Consumption and the Elderly: What Is the Optimal Level of Intake? Nutrients. 2016 Jun 8;8(6):359. doi: 10.3390/nu8060359. PMID: 27338461; PMCID: PMC4924200.

4. Dos Santos EEP,  Efficacy of Creatine Supplementation Combined with Resistance Training on Muscle Strength and Muscle Mass in Older Females. Nutrients. 2021 Oct 24;13(11):3757. doi: 10.3390/nu13113757.

 5.Chilibeck P.D., Kaviani M., Candow D.G., Zello G.A. Effect of creatine supplementation during resistance training on lean tissue mass and muscular strength in older adults: A meta-analysis. Open Access J. Sports Med. 2017;8:213–226. doi: 10.2147/OAJSM.S123529.

 
6. Xu C, Bi S, Zhang W, Luo L. The effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Nutr. 2024 Jul 12;11:1424972. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1424972.

 
7.Mikkelsen, K., Apostolopoulos, V. (2019). Vitamin B12, Folic Acid, and the Immune System. In: Mahmoudi, M., Rezaei, N. (eds) Nutrition and Immunity. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16073-9_6