Optimizing Nutrition: A Guide to Choosing the Best Nutritional Supplements for Your Health

2024-05-04 09:00:00

Healthy functional foods

“I liked it when I tried it”, so I bought it for my parents too? Tips for choosing nutritional supplements

Journalist Heejun Han

Entered on 05/04/2024 at 6:00 p.m.

As you get older, it’s best to increase your omega-3 intake and slightly reduce your iron intake./Clip Art Korea

Mr. A, an office worker, recently purchased a new nutritional supplement, felt good regarding it, and went to the pharmacy to buy another supplement for his parents. When Mr. A said he wanted to give it as a gift to his parents, the pharmacist replied: “Which nutrients you should eat more or less depends on your age.”

Not all nutrients are necessarily good for the body. Depending on your health, age, etc., there are nutrients you should consume more of and nutrients you should consume less of.

◇ Omega 3, vitamin D and calcium good to increase
When you enter the elderly age group, you need to consume enough omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins C and D, and calcium. The daily intake of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins C, D and calcium recommended by the Korean Nutrition Society for people over 50 years old is higher than or at least equal to that recommended for people under 40 years.

The team of Professor William Harris of the Cardiovascular Health Research Center at the University of California, San Diego, tested the relationship between blood concentration of omega-3 fatty acids and memory and concentration in 1,575 men and women. women with an average age of 67. As a result, the 25% with the lowest concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids had the lowest scores on tests of memory and concentration. If older people eat a lot of blueback fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, their cognitive functions will be well maintained and the risk of dementia will be reduced.

Vitamin C helps prevent aging by acting as an antioxidant, while vitamin D and calcium prevent osteoporosis. However, when a national research team studied the vitamin D nutritional status of 276 postmenopausal women, 57.2% of them were below average and 10.9% had vitamin D deficiency. Those who do not consume enough food need supplementation.

◇What you need to reduce are vitamin A and iron.
On the other hand, taking too much vitamin A and iron is not good. The recommended intake of vitamin A for people in their 50s is 50㎍ lower than before for both men and women. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that can cause toxicity when it accumulates in the body. Excessive consumption can therefore cause headaches, hair loss and itching. Postmenopausal women’s adequate iron intake decreases, and if they consume the same level of iron as before, their risk of cardiovascular disease increases.

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