Am I the only middle aged woman NOT using supplements?

AM: Collagen, acidophilus, biotin, zinc, Vitamin D
PM: Magnesium, iron, fish oil, vitamin C

Nope, I don't take anything either, and I am almost 60.

I take vitamin D drops as I don’t get outside much to make any the natural way. I’m quite often housebound with mobility problems. I take multi-vitamin drops, too, as I’ve been on Mounjaro and I know my diet is quite restricted, but that’s it. I don’t think either supplement is unnecessary.

All these things labelled as being for the menopause are just expensively packaged stuff you could get much cheaper elsewhere/separately.

Evenimg primrose oil
Vitamin D & K
Multivitamin (when I remember)

Except for my thyroxine I take nothing else, tried magnesium did not agree and a lot of other things affect the absorption of my thyroxine. I can’t stand powders you add to anything.

I'm just back from a weekend away with six friends.The amount of powders and shit they all had was quite unbelievable. We had a whole conversation about all of the things that people spend money on that their husbands don't. And the cost was phenomenal!
Spending around £25 -80 a month plus each. None of them actually needs any of it for any particular reason.Other than they've seen it on instagram/FB. It was an eye opening conversation for me.
They all also get their nails done every 6 weeks for about £30 and their hair dyed and cut for between £60 to £120 every 8 weeks.
Then also they have expensive shampoo, face creams (loads of them!) And decent makeup. They worked out that they were spending between £200 and £400 a month on this stuff.
I have to say in the main they do look better than me with my head and shoulders and trim from my DD. But none of them, but particularly fitter or healthier than I am.

We are all on relatively similar incomes and outgoings otherwise (with some outliers) .So it was quite interesting that this was their focus.
But it did make them understand how I managed to go away 5 times a year on weekend breaks and they couldn't!
They think supplements have come from really heavy advertising on social media and a fear that if they don't they will become old before their time.

mid 60’s once tried magnesium to help with sleep but it gave me diarrhoea. Apart from that no medication, no supplements, no illnesses. I honestly think supplements are one huge scam

Creatine is one of the most researched supplements and one that all women should take.
Another benefit is cognitive function.
It’s the only supplement that a nutritionists I used to work with ever recommended to his clients.

"I don't take anything except"
"It's all nonsense except this one thing I personally take"

😅

I take several vits/minerals and have done for years. What I take depends on my stage of life, you could say. Everything I take has a noticeable effect, if I stop then after awhile I'll get various symptoms back, so I know I need what I take.

I was too until I tried L Tyrosine for brain fog and it improved. I think it's a bit strange that I was sceptical about taking things your body lacks or needs more of - Vitamin D, omega 3, Vitamin B - they're not exactly snake oil.

It’s called being a redhead. I don’t get enough sun because I burn
if you work in an office how much sun are you getting a day? Not much

Agree!! Same here - vitamin D as advised by doc cos l went through early menopause

Fun fact, various studies have shown uk people who have office jobs and don’t get enough sun exposure over winter to produce enough vit D. This is a serious problem for anyone following a vegan diet towards the north of the UK. (Also can be an issue for women who dress “modestly” for religious reasons and so don’t expose much of their skin to sunlight.)

This time of year, fine. Over winter when many travel to and from work in the dark- you need Vit D from your diet, and for some that’s going to have to be in supplement form.

Just because you don't take any doesn't mean you wouldn't benefit from them.

46 and I take absolutely nothing, I'm feeling totally fine most of the time.

I have an effervescent vitamin c most days - the big tablet you put in water. TBH it's mostly because I don't always drink enough water and this tastes nice! Squash would probably have the same health benefits.

OP I currently just take a multi vitamin- but it did include iron and vit D.

I would say I d got a pretty good diet- usually have around 8 portions of fruit or vegetables daily. But over winter I notice the difference to how I feel when I don’t take a bit of help.

I did take something that was supposed to help hair and nails for a while when I was trying to out grow a bad cut, but it didn’t seem to make any difference to hair or nails, although I had good skin while I was taking it.

I‘m in my early 40’s and don’t take anything. Had a blood test recently and everything is broadly where it should be.
I eat a really good balanced diet and exercise a lot and am prioritising long term health, if there was anything flagged in my blood test I’d not be against introducing a supplement but as it stands now I don’t need to so I’ll just continue as I am.

I barely remember to take my prescription meds never mind all the other non essentials. Unless I actually feel a benefit I'm bad at keeping to that routine.

its called da sun

I take a vitamin D spray and I have started taking a liquid iron supplement that the GP recommended to my teenager. Very expensive so hope it’s doing something. I used to take evening primrose oil and the WellWoman vitamins for women but I don’t any more. It’s hard to know if they have any effect as I didn’t feel any different.

I see a lot of the powders promoted on social media but I don’t know what they are.

Why do you think salad and apples will help with iron or vit D deficiency?

if you’re deficient, a salad and an apple isn’t going to raise my iron or vitamin d