Is there anyway to know which supplemenrs actually help/are worth taking?

[Abouteffingtime]

Took a boots quiz which recommended a variety of options.

As a woman of a certain age, what should I be taking? Which dosages/brands actually help?

Unless a doctor specifically says you're deficient in something, a decent diet and a vitamin D tablet should see you right

Speak to a real live pharmacist, don't rely on a shop website dedicated to selling you things.

Vitamin D.

Unless specifically recommended for you by a doctor or pharmacist, most of the others are just ways of making your pee more expensive, according to my GP friend.

I'm 64 with a good diet and my doctor recommended Vitamin D and Magnesium.

I begun taking a daily magnesium tablet 6 months ago and my sleep quality has been amazing. No more waking up at 3.00 am, I can now sleep 8 hours without waking up.

As mentioned vitamin D is the most obvious option. My friend's husband is a lead nurse in A&E, and he's said to her it's really important looking after your bones, as he sees do many breaks - so calcium, vitamin D, magnesium. There's probably others that are good for bones. Look at your diet and make sure you're eating foods that include all if these, but a supplement that us focused on bone care probably a good option.

Other than that, I guess you look at other options if you have a health concern, ie painful joints.

Well there's a new book by Xand van tulleken that says nothing is useful/works. Even vit D.

I will keep taking:
Vit D/K2
Magnesium (malate in morning, glycinate around 5pm)
Probiotics

The meno stuff is a con. You get better value from a cheap multi vitamin or some basic vitamins.

If you feel like you are not optimal, I'd suggest asking GP for a blood panel - B, D, ferritin etc.

I'm 54.

I don't need vitamin D because I live in a sunny climate and am outside a lot, but I would in the UK.

Things I am taking;

Soy isoflavones completely eradicate my hot flushes (I don't take HRT). I can really tell when I forget to take them regularly.

Pumpkin seed oil - thanks to Mumsnet for this one, it's magic stuff! Stopped my urge/stress incontinence. Taken on days when I don't eat a lot of real pumpkin seeds, which I do try to do instead.

Creatine - I weight train and it's recommended. I can't say the effects are as noticeable as with the previous 2 but I'm hearing about it from sources I trust and the science seems solid.

ETA- the above taken on top of a very carefully managed diet so I'm not deficient in any of the normal things we need.

Weightlifting / strength training is the most important thing in developing bone density, regardless of age. You also need K2 (ideally MK7), Magnesum, and Zinc.