The ageing process does not depend only on the passage of time: there is the hypothesis that it is partly influenced by the diet followed. Here’s what you should never miss.
In fact, a balanced, well-balanced and varied diet helps to maintain good health, thus favoring the first and most important useful condition to counteract the progressive loss of psychophysical efficiency.
But nutrition alone is often not enough to cover the vitamin needs, especially related to the B complex. In fact, it is well known that as early as 50-55 years of age, conditions of deficiency of important nutrients can occur.
The most common causes are an incorrect diet that, especially in the elderly, tends to be monotonous or otherwise unbalanced (for example, few vegetables and many dairy products), the tendency to face “do-it-yourself” slimming diets, usually not adequate from a nutritional point of view, teeth problems and, therefore, chewing, the physiological decrease in smell, taste and absorption capacity of nutrients.
It has also been shown that, however, in the third age there is a deficiency of vitamins B2, B3, B5 in the skin. Deficiency that involves the loss of skin elasticity, with the appearance of roughness, associated with greater vulnerability to dermatitis and more specifically canker sores and stomatitis.
Nutrients that should not be missing, especially after the age of 50 are:
- vitamin C, which has an antioxidant and anti-aging action, and is essential in the formation of collagen;
- calcium, one of the essential elements to prevent osteoporosis, to which women are more prone after menopause, and often not introduced in adequate quantities;
- magnesium, useful to counteract muscle cramps, headaches and irritability;
- zinc, which also plays a synergistic role with the B complex in the metabolic field.
The availability of supplements that bring together all these components can therefore be of considerable use in preventing any deficits, with the related implications in terms of health and psychophysical well-being.
B vitamins
From 50 years of age it can therefore be useful to take vitamin supplements, in particular B vitamins, because any deficiencies in an organism that is undergoing physiological functional alterations could make it less resistant to diseases, thus threatening that favorable state of health that slows down the aging process.
In general, the B vitamin supplement is essential because each of these substances acts as a regulator of organic functions, also contributing to enzyme synthesis (especially B1, B2, B3, B5).
But that’s not all. They are necessary both for the mechanisms of assimilation, transformation, disposal of sugars, proteins and fats, and for the special metabolism of organs and systems, to which they ensure proper functioning.
Here is a summary of their main functions.
| Vitamins | Function |
|---|---|
| B1 and B2 | Rebalance the intestinal bacterial flora, solve problems digestive, correct the poor absorption of nutrients. With B6 they participate in the formation of enzymes, proteins and acids nucleic, promoting liver regeneration |
| B1, B2, B3 | In case of deficiency, they cause edema and gastrointestinal dysfunction. B2 stimulates the biosynthesis of coenzymes active in redox reactions, which are a defense against free radicals |
| B1, B3, B6 | They are indicated for the prevention of polyneuritis, participate in the synthesis of neurotransmitters responsible for memory, attention, concentration, behavior, emotional lability |
| B3, B5, B6 | They are useful for the prevention of vascular, cardiovascular and cerebral ageing, and therefore are protective against Stroke and heart attack. They also help protect against arteriosclerosis. A very important action given that it has been demonstrated that vascular aging significantly accelerates all other aging processes |
| PP (B3) | It reduces cholesterol and triglycerides , which are deposited in the arteries over the years. It also has vasodilatory properties, therefore it increases blood flow and oxygen supply to all parts of the body, including the heart and brain. It also promotes a healthy appearance of the skin, both because it has a vasodilator effect and because it intervenes in the production of sex hormones. |
| B2 and B5 | They stimulate cellular repair, in particular B5 promotes wound healing |
The role in the immune system
One of the many hypotheses formulated to explain the aging process is the immune one. Over the years, the body’s natural defense system loses much of its efficiency.
But there’s more: after the age of 50, it begins to manufacture antibodies that act by damaging the organs and tissues of the organism itself: that is, a sort of self-destruction mechanism is established.
Vitamins B5 and B6 are very useful to support the correct work of the immune system. Vitamins B1, B2, B6 and PABA participate in the synthesis and stability of nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) on which good health and the double possibility of prolonging active life and slowing down aging depend.
Zinc is also essential for the immune system.
Joycelyn Elders is the author and creator of EmpowerEssence, a health and wellness blog. Elders is a respected public health advocate and pediatrician dedicated to promoting general health and well-being.
The blog covers a wide range of topics related to health and wellness, with articles organized into several categories.