As we grow older, getting the proper nutrition becomes a challenge. As people age, the number of calories needed begins to decline. Hence every calorie that an older person should consume must come loaded with nutrition to hit the mark.
When a person gets older though, this is not enough as the body when it ages; it becomes inefficient at absorbing those essential nutrients that your body need. Also, older people experiences decline in ability to taste the food and has a blunting appetite. Plus some foods becomes difficult to digest or chew.
Now several essential nutrients nutrient comes short in supply when people get older. The list below shows the top supplements to give to older people and how to get enough to reap the benefits.
Top Five Supplements
Here is a wrong notion about supplements. Some people think that when you take more, it will be much better but this doesn’t apply to supplements. Ensure to follow recommended intake and talk to a seniors’ doctor before choosing one to be on the safe side. It is best to have home health agencies Houston to be your home care for your senior parents so they can help you monitor such cases.
Fish Oil
This supplement is famous for its benefit which includes helping older people that has degenerative brain diseases.Well-known cases for this is Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular-related issues. Fish oil supplements include ingredients like omega-3 fatty acids and DHA. These are the good stuff which aids in reducing inflammation which is prominent in many ailments associated with aging. The supplement also does wonders in combating dryness and dark areas under the eyes and skin. For older peoples that have cardiovascular disease, fish oil is capable of lowering the fats found in the blood system.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is a big factor in the creation of red blood cells and DNA; it also helps maintain a healthy nerve function. Although, vitamin B12 is hard to absorb for older people. Aside from supplements, foods like fish, poultry, eggs, meat, and milk products are rich in vitamin B12.
Calcium
Older people are often given a prescription for calcium which helps prevent bone decay. For older women, they are very much prone to post-menopausal osteoporosis which is a degenerative bone disease. A supplementary intake of calcium has shown benefits for the older women that take this. The body also uses calcium for other none-bone functions like muscle function and hormone secretion.
Calcium is present in dairy products, but many older people need to cut dairy from their diets due to other health reasons, which makes calcium a good choice.
Vitamin D
What vitamin D does is it helps the body absorb calcium, prevent osteoporosis, and maintain bone density. There are recent studies which suggest that vitamin D also help protect older people against some chronic diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, type 1 diabetes, and autoimmune diseases. Aside from the vitamin D supplements, vitamin D is found in tuna, salmon, and eggs.
Iron
8mg of iron each day is the recommended dose for older men and women. For women past their menopause, they would need an extra more. Iron keeps the blood cells in the body healthy. Rest assured that postmenopausal women that use hormone replacement therapy will still get that monthly period and the excess iron intake helps make up for the blood loss.