While you can meet most of your nutritional needs through your diet, if you are a woman over 50, it may be difficult to get all the nutrients you need from your food.
Fortunately, taking a multivitamin can fill this nutritional gap, but which is the right option for you? Well, the ideal choice should be formulated with key nutrients to address your gender and aging concerns, like One-a-Day Women’s 50+ Multivitamin.
While we get a lot of nutrients from the food we eat, we still miss out on some essential vitamins and minerals that our body needs. Furthermore, as you age, your body is unable to efficiently absorb some nutrients, so you have to increase the intake of these nutrients. One way to address this is by taking a multivitamin. Additionally, minerals like iron and water-soluble vitamins like vitamin A and C are not stored in the body, which is why taking a nutritional supplement containing these can help to fill this gap.
When you pick up a multivitamin bottle, you will see a list of the vitamins and minerals it contains, along with their daily value. This value refers to the quantity of vitamins and minerals the product contains in relation to a 2000 calorie diet. When choosing your ideal multivitamin, always choose one that is as close to 100 percent of the daily value for the vitamins and minerals on the list. However, there is also a thin line between taking the recommended daily value and consuming significantly higher doses. For example, fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K can build up in the body and become toxic when taken in high doses. To avoid this, always choose multivitamins that only contain nutrients that your diet lacks.
Whether it is a capsule, soft gel, chewable tablet or even liquid, some people prefer one dosage form over the other. Some multivitamin brands have products available in different dosage forms or formulations, which allows you to choose your preferred options. However, some brands aren’t as multifaceted, and you may only find one type of dosage. If you have a hard time swallowing pills, you can either opt for smaller tablets or go for chewable tablets. You can also buy a liquid multivitamin, as this is the easiest option when it comes to swallowing. Overall, when choosing a multivitamin, always check the dosage form so that you can select the type that you prefer.
Certain conditions may require taking multivitamins. For example, if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to conceive, taking folic acid is crucial. If you’re also on a vegan diet, you may need to supplement your diet with nutrients such as calcium, vitamin D, B12, iron and zinc. Age is another factor that can affect your body’s ability to absorb certain nutrients, which is why taking a multivitamin can be helpful. There are also vitamins you should avoid, depending on your condition. For example, pregnant women should avoid taking a multivitamin with excessive vitamin A, because it can increase the risk of birth defects.
The quality of your multivitamin supplement is often determined by the manufacturing process involved in formulating them. You can find out about the quality of the multivitamin you are buying by looking at the label on the packaging. These labels usually come from third-party organizations that carry out testing to ascertain that the product contains what the packaging claims. For instance, the FDA isn’t involved in the testing of supplements, but if you see a Current Good Manufacturing Practice label on the package of your multivitamin product, it means the manufacturing followed U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved guidelines, and that the highest standards were adhered to during the production process.
Choosing the right multivitamin isn’t just about the vitamins and minerals they contain, because these products also contain other ingredients like sugar, artificial flavors and colors that can also determine the safety of the product. Overall, you should choose products that are free of sugar, artificial flavors, colors and other unnecessary ingredients.
When buying your multivitamin for women over 50, on average, you can expect to pay between 6 cents and 60 cents per unit, which usually comes out to between $10-$50 per package.
A. Taking multivitamins can boost your energy levels, improve your mood, reduce your stress and anxiety level and protect your organs from the effects of damaging free radicals.
A. Multivitamins may cause side effects like heartburn, upset stomach, nausea and indigestion. However, if taken as directed, it is not expected that the supplement will cause any serious side effects.
One-a-Day Women’s 50+ Multivitamin
What you need to know: This is a daily multivitamin for women over the age of 50 that contains a wide variety of key nutrients to support your overall health.
What you’ll love: It includes B vitamins to support healthy brain function. It also contains vital nutrients to support your bones, heart, eyes and immune health. It is free of gluten, wheat, soy allergens, dairy and artificial sweeteners.
What you should consider: The tablets may be difficult to swallow because of their size.
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Centrum Minis Women 50+ Multivitamin
What you need to know: This pill is specially formulated with essential nutrients for women over 50 to support the bones, brain, eyes and heart health.
What you’ll love: It is a verified non-GMO product that is also gluten-free. It comes as small pills that are easy to swallow. It is also free of artificial sweeteners or flavors.
What you should consider: Some users complained about having to swallow two pills.
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Nature’s Way Alive Once Daily Women’s 50+ Ultra Potency Multivitamin
What you need to know: This product is a premium multivitamin formula that blends fruits and vegetables into a convenient once-daily tablet.
What you’ll love: It is a nutrient-diverse multivitamin comprising key vitamins, essential minerals and potent food-based blends.
What you should consider: The pills are large and may be difficult to swallow for some people.
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Ayotola Ogunsipe writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
