Essential vitamins you should begin taking after 50

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Your body changes as you get older. That is why you may need more of certain vitamins. It may be harder for you to get these nutrients from your diet alone. Fortunately, you can take supplements to make up for what you cannot get with your diet. VITAMIN B12 Your need for vitamin B12 increases as you get older. Your body cannot function properly without vitamin B12. This vitamin is found in many meat and animal products, such as eggs, fish and dairy. It gets harder for the body to absorb vitamin B12 as you get older. The stomach acid has a tendency to deplete vitamin B12. That is why you need more of it if you are over the age of 50. VITAMIN D If you are over the age of 50, then you need between 600 and 4,000 I.U. of this vitamin per day. You do not want to get more than 4,000 I.U. per day because that can be harmful. Fish, cod liver oil and fortified cereal has vitamin D. You can also take a supplement. You need vitamin D for calcium absorption. However, this is not the only benefit of vitamin D. Your risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease is higher if you are over the age of 50. Studies have also linked type 2 diabetes and heart disease to low vitamin D levels. Therefore, you can reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease by increasing your vitamin D intake. FOLATE Folate is not only important for women who are of childbearing age. This nutrient helps prevent anemia, which is common in people who are over the age of 50. In addition to taking folate supplements, you can also get this nutrient from beans and spinach. You need 400 mcg of folate per day.