Am I the only middle aged woman NOT using supplements?

Wow, mine hasn't mentioned it at all, just the vitamin D and calcium. How are we supposed to know what's best in a world full of conflicting information? I'm not old enough for this level of responsibility.

Eveyone in the UK needs to take vitamins D
from about October till about late March. We don’t have much in our diet and the sun is not strong enough on the winter months to make enough in our skin.
I also take magnesium on the advice of my doctor. From what I’ve heard, most people in the UK coold
do with a bit more. Magnesium and vitamin D are both very cheap.

This sounds similar to me. I'm 44 and my friendship circle spend £300-400 a month on supplements, hair, nails, eyebrows etc you name it they do it. I do nothing and get my hair cut twice a year. No supplements. Dye my hair myself.

They often ask how I afford nice holidays and short breaks (with 4 kids) and I keep saying because I don't spend £400 a month on all that. Each to their own. It's not a dig it's just different priorities.

Up until relatively recently (last year or two), I was only taking vitamin D and B12 (I am vegan). I started on protein drinks/shakes after I began WLI and then added in biotin and pumpkin seed oil for hair loss (a combo of loosing weight and being peri menopausal). I have noticed some improvement. I have more recently added in lions mane for brain fog and turmeric for inflammation. Not sure if they are doing anything yet or not!

I did try magnesium briefly for poor sleep but it gave me nightmares! Tried it for a few days twice with a break in between and had the same result.

@MrTiddlesTheCat which was my approach Re collagen until orthopaedic surgeon told me to take it 🤷

I went with a referral from a private pelvic physio who told me to ask for estriol cream.

Then private uro-gynae told me to use it way more than GP told me to. I generally use if daily or every other day now.

Neither of which will make the slightest bit of difference in the UK in winter 🙄

I work outdoors year-round and was still low in vitamin D when I had a blood test a couple of years ago. I now supplement and my levels are fine.

I rattle when I walk because of all the pills I take. But I have the advantage of being married to a scientist who checks the research before I fritter away my cash.

Vitamin C - shown to improve CRPS symptoms
Magnesium citrate - helps improve muscle pain
Prebiotics (not probiotics) - they trigger a sleep hormone so help insomnia
Vitamin D3 - on prescription due to severe osteoporosis
Calcium - also on prescription
Vitamin K2 - improves absorption of the calcium

I was looking at collagen but DH says it gets completely destroyed by the stomach acids and tictacs would be cheaper and just as effective.

I’ve just had a look and couldn’t find it. Are you able to provide a link? TIA

20-30 mins per day in winter will do nothing
it took me a high dose course and the max RDA of 4000IU a day to go from levels of 6 to 68 and that took a good year, not months

I have just started taking collagen.

I have been ill & it caused some rapid weight loss - not complaining about that but I definitely feel like I have saggy skin on my arms, thighs and stomach.

not sure what I am expecting it to do but there we go 🤣

You should add vaginal oestrogen for the bladder issues.

I am a massive advocate of this. It saved my sleep once I no longer needed to wee in the night.

You can get the oestrogen pessaries directly from the online Boots pharmacy - no need to see your doctor!

It's also linked with some MH issues and suicidal thoughts. I found out aftera bad bout....
D is incredibly important

Huge correlation with high vitamin D levels at the time of diagnosis and good prognosis…

My oncologist was very keen on me keeping my vitamin D levels high. Loads of studies out there to be honest linking low vitamin D and cancer (and other diseases to be honest - like MS).

Not something to sleep on!

I’m 50 and Magnesium before bed had definitely helped with sleep. Also trying to remember to take collagen and my skin is benefiting from it.

This is good advice. A friend of mine had a round of chemo cancelled due to her bloods showing something (can't remember what but something was excessive). It turned out she was taking vitamins, innocently thinking she was helping herself to keep healthy whilst fighting cancer, but she was actually overdosing on them!

I take Nutrition Geeks magesium for poor sleep/muscle cramping & aches, D Mannose for UTI prevention and Jude for overactive bladder. All of them have been a game changer.

what did the study find?

I know how you feel, OP. I was with a group of women last week, mainly aged between 55-70 and they were all talking about collagen and turmeric.

I’m 65 and don’t take any supplements.

Vaginal oestrogen is so good for bladder issues. And is very safe (breast cancer patients can have it). I do also try and eat pumpkin seeds
as a double whammy.

Doctors really need to get up to date with this stuff.

We had a nutritionist come and talk to us at work about nutrition for the menopause, and she was very clear that there is little to no scientific evidence that most of these supplements actually do anything other than cost you money. She basically listed 4 actual vitamins that were worth taking, but emphasised only if you were deficient in them. One was Vit D (which most people should take, at least during the winter), then B12 I think, and then I forget the others (iron I think was one). She also pointed out that some supplements can be dangerous if you don't need them - iron for example can build up in your system and so should only be taken if advised by a doctor.

Omg I had the worst doctors appointment of my life asking for this for this issue. I got treated like I was taking gobblydigook. I have to try again, Thankyou for reminding me.

Try plain magnesium glycinate. The triple has citrate in which is used for constipation.

Vaginal oestrogen would help more than pumpkin seeds oil.