Living in a city with air pollution, drinking coffee, taking medications, consuming alcohol—even exercising—increases our vitamin and mineral requirements, making it difficult to get the vitamins we need through diet. Add the various forms of stress to the mixture and our need for nutrients is higher still.

Aside from shunning the java, leaving the city and growing all your own food, the best way to ensure you’re meeting your vitamin and mineral requirements is through supplementation. Perhaps taking supplements daily may not make you feel like flipping cartwheels in the street, but when simply taking vitamin C and E daily may reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 58%, would it not be worth the effort to stay sharp and active at 85?

The basics
I recommend a simple plan for everyone that includes the following ingredients:

- A high quality multivitamin.
- Fish oils.
- A mixed vitamin E (mixed vitamin E contains all eight types of vitamin E whereas most just contain alpha tocopherol).
- A calcium-magnesium supplement in a citrate base with vitamin D3 (the citrate form is most absorbable.)
- Vitamin C with bioflavonoids (bioflavonoids increase the activity of vitamin C in the body) and perhaps a capsule of grapeseed extract.

This combination of supplements replaces nutrients lacking due to dietary habits, stress, exercise or many other reasons (the multivitamin), nutrients for bone health (the multivitamin and cal-mag combo), antioxidants for protection of the heart, blood vessels, eyes, brain and skin (vitamin C, E and grapeseed extract) and provides omega-3 oils for heart health, digestive health, moistening of the skin and cognitive support (the fish oils). Taking this regime daily can reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and osteoporosis—chronic diseases associated with aging.

A note about multivitamins
Too much iron can increase the risk of heart disease. Because men tend to accumulate iron as they age, men’s multivitamins should be iron free. Menopausal women, who are normally less susceptible to loss of iron, should also choose an iron-free multi that contains higher levels of calcium for bone health. Women in their reproductive years should take a multivitamin that contains iron and good levels of folic acid. A prenatal vitamin is necessary while attempting to conceive and during pregnancy and breast-feeding.

Tweaking requirements for your ‘20s and ‘30s
Women aged 20 to 40 need a minimum of 400 mcg of folic acid daily to assist in the prevention of birth defects and to replace depletions caused by using the birth control pill. Folic acid taken after consuming alcohol will also help to counteract alcohol’s negative effect on breast cancer risk.

Men in this age group may want to take extra B vitamins in addition to their multivitamin for stress and energy support. Men may also require extra vitamins A, C, E, folic acid and B12 for sperm production. Finally, men require more magnesium for cardiovascular health along with many other bodily functions (magnesium requirements are 350 – 700 mg daily for women; 400 – 800 mg daily for men) and both sexes should need 850 – 1200 mg of calcium daily.

Formulating for your ‘40s
Saw palmetto, zinc, selenium, lycopene (an antioxidant in tomatoes and pink grapefruit) and vitamin E become essential for men in their ‘40s for protection of the prostate gland. Soy isoflavones from the diet or supplements can be useful for prostate health and for hormonal balance in women.

Women in their ‘30s and ‘40s may begin to have difficulty with PMS and benefit from extra vitamin B6, magnesium and evening primrose oil for assistance with hormone-related symptoms. Remember that PMS is a sign of hormonal imbalance, leaving it unattended to will result in a difficult menopause and increase the risk of further health complaints later on. I find patients at this stage of life feel the effects of stress more acutely, making more vitamin C and B5 necessary. I would also recommend the addition of an herbal combination periodically for adrenals (our stress glands) to help recuperation of energy levels.

By age 40, if not sooner, we should adopt tactics to prevent heart disease and diabetes. We can do this by upping the intake fish oils (2 – 4 grams/day — also useful for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease) and adding coenzyme Q10 (an antioxidant that is naturally high in the heart muscle but tends to decline with age). Be sure to continue taking vitamins E and C for healthy arteries, potassium for stroke prevention and B complex for safe levels of homocysteine (homocysteine is type of protein which, if elevated above 7, is a risk factor for stroke, Alzheimer’s, heart disease and osteoporosis).

For the prevention of type 2 diabetes consider chromium, vanadium, conjugated linoleic acid (a fatty acid supplement that helps to improve the body’s response to insulin, thereby lowering levels aiding weight loss and risk of disease) and/or alpha lipoic acid, the antioxidant which aids insulin response.

If cost is not an issue, N-acetyl cysteine, a precursor to the antioxidant glutathione, is also a great supplement to consider at any age for brain health, lung health and cancer protection. Finally, lutein, an antioxidant specifically for protection of the eyes, can be added to your daily plan at this stage to reduce the risk of cataracts.

Fantastic additions for your 50s and beyond
Weight-bearing exercise and calcium (1200 – 1500 mg per day) are a must for osteoporosis prevention at this point, along with boron (3 mg), vitamin K, magnesium, phosphorous and vitamin D (600 – 1,000 IU per day). Vitamin D is also important for minimizing arthritis, seasonal depression and certain types of cancers.

For joint health, I recommend MSM (rather than glucosamine sulfate) as a source of sulfur for collagen repair and the reduction of pain and inflammation. Some studies suggest that glucosamine may increase the risk of insulin resistance in certain people, a condition involved in the development of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Along with doing the daily crossword, taking phosphatidylcholine may prevent cognitive decline. Iron becomes less important for women at this age but vitamin B12 status should be monitored. Levels of hydrocholoric acid in the stomach deplete with age (especially in women) potentially leading to malabsorption of vitamins and minerals. An HCL supplement may prevent deficiencies and maximize absorption of foods and nutrients.

Putting it all together
Beginning a supplement program can be daunting. I recommend that you spend your money wisely and consult a professional. Don’t waste time and money taking the wrong products, in the wrong amounts and, most likely, in the wrong combinations.

Dr. Natasha Turner is a truestarhealth.com author.