Best Multivitamin Products for Adults over 50
Currently, over 30% of the entire US adult population uses multivitamins and multivitamin supplements to ensure that they meet their daily recommended values for each micronutrient. This percentage of multivitamin use increases with age and over 40% of those who are 70 years of age or older use some form of a multivitamin product.
This is crucial for the aging population as it’s not uncommon to find large scale deficiencies in multiple micronutrient groups stemming from reasons such as poor food choices or not consuming enough of certain foods as a whole.
In order to ensure that they are meeting their daily micronutrient requirements, aging adults should seek to use supplements which provide a variety of different micronutrients at high enough concentrations to meet their minimum needs. Multivitamin products which provide the best all-around value for product quality and quantity include the PatchMD Multivitamin Plus Patch, the Zetpil MultiVitamin and MultiMineral with Iron Suppositories, and Drucker Labs IntraMAX 2.0.
In order to better understand why these three multivitamin products are the best in the market let’s first review what multivitamins are and how they aid adult health. We will then take a look at each of the 3 major products and how they maximize adult health.
Table of Contents
What are Multivitamins/Multivitamin Products?
Multivitamins and multivitamin supplements include differing combinations of vitamins and minerals which are essential to human health and aid numerous processes throughout the body such as enzyme reactions, reproduction, and overall development. Along with vitamins and minerals, many of these products also contain herbal components, amino acids, or fatty acids.
Generally, most adults take once-a-day multivitamin products which are taken in tablet, capsule, chewable gummy, liquid or powder form. The majority of these products contain 13 vitamins and 16 essential minerals.
Vitamins normally found in multivitamin products include Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin K and the 8 B vitamins of thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyroxidine (B6), biotin (B7), folate (B9) and cobalamin (B12). The 16 essential minerals generally found in multivitamin products include calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, sodium, chloride, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, iodine, and selenium, molybdenum, chromium, and fluoride. Each of the 13 vitamins 16 essential minerals play a vital role in maintaining adult health.
Overview of the 13 Vitamins
If you don’t regularly consume any of these natural, vitamin-rich foods, then multivitamin supplementation may be right for you.
The following are the main 13 vitamins and their general roles within the body:
- Vitamin A is best known for its role in promoting optimal eyesight and is referred to as retinol for performing the function of producing pigment within the retina. It also assists in the formation and maintenance of certain bones, tissues and membranes.
- Vitamin C is essential for the repair of tissues and plays a crucial role within the immune system.
- Vitamin D plays a synergistic role with calcium in promoting bone growth and development, and it enhances the absorption of calcium in the body.
- Vitamin E is best known as an antioxidant which helps ward off free radicals from harming the body.
- Vitamin K serves mostly in the blood clotting realm, but also works hand-in-hand with Vitamin E in bone metabolism.
- The last of the 13 vitamins, the B vitamins, assist with proper function of cells and also aid metabolic processes.
Overview of the 16 Essential Minerals
The following are the 16 essential minerals required by adults along with their role in specific bodily processes:
- Calcium is crucial for proper bone growth and development and is often taken along with Vitamin D.
- Phosphorus works in conjunction with the B vitamins and assists not only bone formation and cellular repair but also aids the process and use of both carbohydrates and fats.
- Potassium helps with the main functions of nerve signalling, proper contraction of muscles, and regulating fluid within the body.
- Sulfur makes up amino acids which are the major components of protein, thus making it most useful for protein synthesis and the various enzyme reactions.
- Sodium, extremely similar to potassium, also helps regulate fluids within the body and assists with muscular and nerve functions.
- Chloride helps balance electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium.
- Magnesium is a powerhouse mineral and is required by the body for over 300 different processes. One of its most important roles involves the maintenance of blood glucose levels and also its ability to help produce energy.
- Iron assists with the conversion of food into readily available ATP to be used as energy.
- Zinc supports the immune system and is needed for cellular processes.
- Copper works in conjunction with iron and helps form red blood cells.
- Manganese assists mostly in the area of maintaining bone mineral density.
- Iodine helps the thyroid function properly and works in partnership with selenium for proper metabolism.
- Molybdenum makes up digestive enzymes and also helps rid the body of toxins.
- Chromium works in the digestion of carbohydrates and fats and helps to regulate insulin and blood glucose levels.
- Finally, fluoride aids the solidification of bones.
Main Vitamins and Minerals Required by People 50 and Older
Out of the above 13 vitamins and 16 essential minerals, the following are those which are required the most by the aging population:
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin B12
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Potassium
Due to the increased risk of bone loss and done damage with the aging process it is essential that those who are 50 years and older consume enough Vitamin D to assist with proper bone maintenance and structure. Adults between the ages of 51 to 70 years old require a minimum of 15 mcg (600 IU) each day, and those who are 70 years of age or older require a minimum daily amount of 20 mcg (800 IU).
Vitamin B12 helps prevent anemia in the aging population and also aids blood cells and nerves. All adults over the age of 50 are recommended to consume at least 2.4 mcg on a daily basis.
Similar to the need for Vitamin D, Calcium is also one of the best minerals for the aging population and it is recommended that men who are between the ages of 51 to 70 consume at least 1,000 mg each day whereas men who are 70 years of age or older or women from 51 years or age or older consume a minimum of daily amount of 1,200 mg.
Magnesium is one of the most highly recommended minerals due to its role in over 300 different bodily processes. By consuming enough magnesium each day, adults ensure that their overall health is maximized in all areas. Women who are 51 or older are encouraged to consume at least 320 mg daily, whereas men 51 or older need at least 420 mg each day.
Potassium is essential for aiding muscle and nerve functions within older adults, and also balances fluids within the body. All older adults are recommended to consume at least 4,700 mg per day.
The Best Multivitamin Products on the Market and Why They Remain Supreme
Over 50? Searching for some of the best multivitamins on the market? Look no further!
The following three products remain supreme in the multivitamin industry. Not only do each of the products contain most of the 13 vitamins and 16 essential minerals but they also provide them at high enough quantities and are purely produced products.
The Multivitamin Plus Patch from PatchMD contains 27 of the 29 major vitamins, minerals and antioxidants required by adults and provides each of them in ample quantities. Not only does it contain the necessary vitamins and minerals for the major bodily processes, but it also is administered transdermally in the form of a patch.
Transdermally administered nutrients have been shown to enhance bioavailability over the traditional oral route in certain individuals, and they are generally considered by most adults to be more convenient and accessible. The patches are also composed of all-natural and hypoallergenic materials compared to other products on the market which contain chemicals that may lead to skin sensitization or irritation.
Another multivitamin product which remains supreme to others on the market is the Zetpil Multivitamin and Multimineral with Iron Suppositories. Not only does this product provide a variety of necessary vitamins and minerals but it also includes a generous amount of iron to help support ferritin levels and meet daily iron requirements.
Since this product is administered as a suppository it releases all nutrients via the lower bowels and directly into the surrounding soft tissues. Similar to the previous product, this product bypasses the digestive tract and provides higher absorption rates compared to orally administered supplements. To further aid iron absorption in the blood, the suppositories also contain a fat-soluble form of vitamin C which has been proven to support iron absorption when taken in conjunction with an iron supplement.
A final major characteristic of this product is its inclusion of cofactors, or enzymes which readily bind to vitamins and minerals, and thus assist with the absorption process within the blood.
A final product which comes highly recommended for adults over 50 looking to take a multivitamin supplement is the IntraMAX 2.0 organic liquid vitamin supplement. This product has the standout characteristic of providing carbon bond organic trace minerals using IntraCELL V technology for higher bioavailability and greater absorption.
Although this product is orally administered, compared to these previous two products, its IntraCELL V technology transforms inorganic nutrients and elements into carbon-bond organic nutrients unlike other orally administered multivitamins. Another major perk of this product is that it comes in the flavor of peach mango which trumps other multivitamin tablets, pills or powders which are either usually bitter or tasteless in general.
The Need for Multivitamin Use among Adults 50 and Older
In order to reduce the overall prevalence of inadequate micronutrient intake among the aging population, adults in the United States should ensure that they not only take a multivitamin product, but that it’s composed of high-quality products provided in ample quantities that are easily absorbed.
As seen, the above products remain supreme for providing a majority of the required vitamins and minerals needed by older adults to ensure that they maintain good health and reduce their risk of easily preventable micronutrient deficiencies.
Click here to try Intramax 2.0 today!
References
Blumberg, J. B., Bailey, R. L., Sesso, H. D., & Ulrich, C. M. (2018). The Evolving Role of Multivitamin/Multimineral Supplement Use among Adults in the Age of Personalized Nutrition. Nutrients, 10(2), 248. doi:10.3390/nu10020248
Multivitamin/mineral Supplements Fact Sheet for Consumers. (2016, February 17). Retrieved from https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/MVMS-Consumer/
Vitamins and Minerals. (2019, April 29). Retrieved from https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/vitamins-and-minerals