Older adults are at greater risk of vitamin and mineral deficiencies, requiring that they pay closer attention to their daily intake of micronutrients.Thinkstock
Eating a nutrient-dense diet of predominately whole foods is essential for healthy aging.
As we age, several physical and metabolic changes can alter daily nutrient needs, putting older adults at risk of vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Menopause, loss of bone and muscle mass, declining immune function and reduced absorption of nutrients can all increase the need for certain vitamins and minerals.
It’s well-established, for example, that later in life, we need more calcium to help maintain bone health. At age 51, calcium requirements rise from 1,000 milligrams to 1,200 mg for women; men see a similar increase at age 71.
Some health conditions and medications can also increase the body’s demand for key vitamins and minerals.
If you’re over 50, pay extra attention to the following four micronutrients. Here’s how they support healthy aging, how much you need and how best to get them.
Vitamin B6
This B vitamin is essential for over 100 enzymes, most of them involved in protein metabolism. Evidence also suggests that an adequate intake of B6 is important for optimal immune function, especially in older adults.
With aging, the body becomes less efficient at converting B6 to its active form once it’s absorbed. Chronic inflammation can also impair the activation of the vitamin. As well, older adults may break down the vitamin more quickly, contributing to lower B6 levels in the body.
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Daily requirements for vitamin B6 increase after age 50 to 1.7 mg for men and 1.5 mg for women. (Adults aged 19 to 50, of both sexes, need 1.3 mg per day.)
Excellent sources include chickpeas (1.1 mg per one cup), tuna (0.9 mg per three ounces), salmon (0.5 to 0.8 mg per three ounces), chicken breast (0.5 mg per three ounces), russet potatoes (0.6 mg per one medium potato), cooked spinach (0.4 mg per one cup) and bananas (0.4 mg per one medium banana).
Taking a daily multivitamin can help ensure older adults maintain adequate B6 levels.
Vitamin B12
This nutrient is needed to make DNA and red blood cells, and is also crucial for nerve and brain function.
Poor vitamin B12 absorption and deficiency are more common in older adults. Up to 30 per cent of adults over 60 are thought to have atrophic gastritis, a condition in which the stomach doesn’t produce enough hydrochloric acid to absorb B12 from food.
Medications such as metformin, which is used to control blood glucose, as well as antacids, proton pump inhibitors and H2 receptor blockers, used to treat acid reflux, also interfere with B12 absorption.
Adults require 2.4 micrograms of B12 each day. The vitamin is found naturally only in animal foods – meat, poultry, seafood, eggs and dairy products.
Foods fortified with B12 include ready-to-eat breakfast cereals, non-dairy milks, some plant-based meat alternatives and certain brands of nutritional yeast.
It’s recommended that adults over 50 get most of their daily B12 from a supplement, such as a multivitamin, or from fortified foods. The Linus Pauling Institute recommends that adults over 50 take 100 to 400 mcg of supplemental B12 a day.
Magnesium
This mineral helps regulate blood pressure and blood glucose; a higher intake of dietary magnesium is associated with a lower risk of hypertension, heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
Meeting daily magnesium needs is also tied to higher bone density and a slower rate of bone loss in post-menopausal women.
Many Canadians don’t get enough magnesium from their diet, with the occurrence of inadequate intake increasing with older age.
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Males over 50 need 420 mg of magnesium each day, and females of the same age need 320 mg.
Excellent food sources of the mineral include pumpkin seeds (190 mg per one-quarter cup), as well as sunflower seeds, hemp seeds and almonds (each providing 100 mg per one-quarter cup).
Cooked spinach and Swiss chard (each have 160 mg per cup), brown rice (79 mg per one cup, cooked), quinoa (118 mg per one cup, cooked), black beans (90 mg per one cup) and edamame (100 mg per one cup of shelled beans) are other exceptional sources.
Vitamin K
Consuming enough vitamin K is essential to maintaining bone health as we age. The fat-soluble vitamin activates proteins in the body that mineralize and strengthen bones.
Vitamin K also plays an important role in heart health. It activates a specific protein, called Matrix Gla protein, which inhibits calcium from building up in blood vessel walls (vascular calcification).
In so doing, vitamin K helps keep arteries flexible and prevents them from hardening.
The established adequate intake for vitamin K is 120 mcg for males and 90 mcg for females.
It’s unclear, though, whether this amount is enough to protect bones and blood vessels. Some evidence suggests a daily intake of 250 mcg of vitamin K is needed to reduce the risk of hip fracture.
You’ll find plenty of vitamin K in green leafy vegetables. Per one cup cooked, spinach has 889 mcg, collard greens have 772 mcg, Swiss chard has 572 mcg, kale has 493 mcg and broccoli has 22 mcg.
To help ensure adequate vitamin K intake, the Linus Pauling Institute recommends adults over 50 take a multivitamin and consume one cup of dark leafy greens each day.
Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based private practice dietitian, is director of food and nutrition at Medcan. Follow her on X @LeslieBeckRD
