Supplements + Vitamins for the over 40's

[EarlyIntheMorning]

Not sure this is the right board for this, but I'd love to hear what supplements you take for general well being if you're over 40. The areas I'm particularly keen to tackle are my mood and sugar cravings but also healthy skin and hair. I am conscious of being perimenopausal. My mood is tightly attached to my weight. I have been 1 stone overweight for ages now and I'd like to tackle this before I reach the dreaded menopause and it becomes more difficult. I have recently noticed back fat reaching my muffin top thus giving me the distinct figure of a middle aged woman which I guess I am (I am 43) but don't really want to look like one. I'm rambling now. So anyway, what supplements do you feel you benefit from? TIA!

bump I am looking for something for the late forties !

I'm 38 but have been taking cod liver oil capsules for a while now; my dad swears by them and he's in remarkable nick for 73. I also take Oil of Evening Primrose which I think is helping my Jekyll and Hyde problem PMT mood swings, and Vit D supplements because I'm a sun avoider and wound up with dangerously low levels a while back.

I am almost 48. I take high strength Omega 3-6-9's, Evening Primrose fairly consistently, and at the mo' am taking a Multi vit for women (Boots own brand) and a probiotic.

A handful of nuts and seeds every day, drink full fat milk for skin, chlorella/spirulina for the superfood effect!

Spatone for iron levels, due to crazy peri menopausal cycle.

I don't know if this helps but asda have 3 for £10 at the moment, and it's on the Centrium (?) vitamins which are usually £8 ish and there were lots of other pricey stuff included

i could have written your post, esp the bit about mood/weight - and i would urge you to consider low-carbing for weight-loss/mood control - everything really! if you follow it to the letter, sugar cravings are eliminated and all the fat/water you consume is great for the skin and hair!

to answer your question, i take omega 3 fish oil, a general multivitamin with iron, and sea kelp (to help with hair/appetite control) - when i remember, that is. i also used to take a daily (low fat) probiotic drink but quit when i started low-carbing.

i did the last bootcamp here on mumsnet (in the diet/low carbing section), having just lurked on previous threads and despite not fully understanding the theory behind it, and i lost 11 lbs without feeling hungry at all! it's a lot to get your head around, but being under 11 stone for the first time in years and in my mid-forties was something i didn't think was achievable.

there's another bootcamp starting next month, it's the first 'diet' i've ever managed to follow for more than 3 days (even though i ended up falling off the wagon more than i managed to stay on) - everyone is fantastically supportive, especially BIWI and her big stick! and there are loads of success stories from previous bootcampers that are really encouraging.

as i said, i am still coming to terms with a lot of the theory behind it, but i can honestly say it works - more than supplements!

Alpha lipoic acid

Thank you ladies for all your suggestions, I'm looking into them. Do you think it makes much of a difference if you buy cheap ones? Prices differ so much!

Chromium is good to helping stabilise blood sugar levels (re: sugar cravings), and it might be worth taking a few decent liver support supplements, if the fatty tummy is maybe caused by a sluggish liver..... e.g., tumeric, milk thistle.

Oils are good (flaxseed? cod liver? evening primrose?) and a decent B complex too...... and probiotics, and I always take a decent dose of vit D during the winter.....

and I wouldn't buy cheap. Always go for a decent brand (Solgar, Biocare).... you can find decent prices for these on the net. Don't go for Holland and Barrett value vits.

I always buy good ones. Mine are H and B but the maxi strength ones which were IIRC £14.99 but in the buy-another-for-a-penny thingy.

Some of the cheap ones contain 50mg of the ingredient whereas the expensive ones will have 1000mg so a huge difference. I notice the small/cheap tubs in places like Superdrug/Boots/supermarket are invariably extremely low doses.

The Beauty Bible (anti-aging) recommend chlorella (supergreen) and co-enzyme Q10 to make us all look 20 again. Which would be rather nice.....

Vitamin D, just started taking Vitamin B complex and my skin repairs itself much more quickly. I have ground flaxseed in my smoothie every day. I need the Omega 3s as I'm vegetarian.

Vit D, Magnesium, Selenium, Zinc. And Starflower oil capsules. Just for general health tho, not necessarily chosen for age. Most are Solgar, but bought out of convenience more than choice.

Thank you all. Lurking, when you say Vit D, Magnesium, Selenium, Zinc, are they all one supplement each or just the one supplement encompassing all 4?

Someone here was raving about Perfectil (Boots 3 for 2) but there is more than one... Maybe do a board search?

Mostly separate. I know. I do feel a bit ocd-ish but I have a good diet and was just interested in supplementing with specifically those minerals. The Vit D and magnesium I take every day, those are very common defieciencies. The others are a bit hit and miss, to make me feel less ocd!!

generally no-one healthy with a good diet, over 5 and not pregnant who goes outdoors needs supplements.

if you think something isn't right, see your GP. Spend money on food!

No, that isn't so, special. A lot of us are deficient in vitamin D and magnesium. Practically impossible to get enough Vit D thru diet and we get little to none from the sun in the winter months in Western Europe. And we're all so vigilant about sunscreen. Low levels of Vit D is now more and more associated with all sorts of chronic illnesses.
Magnesium also know to be low around these here parts, causes vague tiredness and more.

Not sure I agree with you special. Most people don't eat enough oily fish so will need supplements for the missing omega 3 and 6. Plus getting enough Vit D is a problem.

Perimenopausal women need extra nutrients too, to help with those grim symptoms!

I'm currently reading Marilyn Glenville's Natural Solutions to Menopause which has lots of useful info OP.

Thank you Chunky, I'll check it out.
Please keep your suggestions coming ladies.