While you may have your own version of what healthy aging means, the World Health Organization defines it “as the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables wellbeing in older age.” What does functional ability mean? It means you’re able to meet your own basic needs, learn, grow and make decisions, be mobile, build and maintain relationships, and contribute to society.
If you’re looking for ways to age well, finding the right supplements to support healthy aging can go a long way.
Related Reading: IMPORTANCE OF VITAMIN B12 AS YOU AGE
SNAG A PROTEIN SUPPLEMENT FOR MUSCLE SUPPORT
Something that frequently accompanies aging is a decline in strength and skeletal muscle mass. This loss of muscle tissue is also referred to as sarcopenia. Focusing on your muscle health is one key to healthy aging because it may play a role in maintaining independence, mobility and quality of life. Maintaining adequate muscle mass may also lower the risk of falls and weakness.
How can you support your muscles as your age? By consuming an adequate amount of protein. The current recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for protein is .8 grams per kilogram (g/kg) of body weight every day for adults over 18. That ends up being around 58 grams of protein per day for a 160 lb person.
An easy way to increase the amount of protein you consume is by supplementing with a whey protein powder or protein shake. If you avoid dairy or animal products, there are plenty of vegan and plant-based protein powders that rely on ingredients like pea protein or soy protein.
PAIR CALCIUM WITH VITAMIN D FOR BONE SUPPORT
Another supplement that supports healthy aging is calcium citrate malate, a superior form of calcium that helps support bone density. Calcium citrate malate is superior because it’s more bioavailable than ordinary calcium supplements like calcium carbonate. Consuming adequate calcium throughout your lifetime is important because it may reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Choose a calcium supplement that includes vitamin D because it helps maintain healthy bones and enhances calcium absorption.
CHOOSE COQ-10 FOR HEART SUPPORT
As you age cardiovascular health may be a top priority for you. Coenzyme Q-10, or CoQ-10, is an important antioxidant and essential component of your heart’s energy producing system. What are other benefits of CoQ-10? It also helps support a healthy cardiovascular system and is beneficial for those taking statin drugs.
JUMP ON SOME JOINT SUPPORT
Supporting your joints is an important part of helping to maintain your functional ability. You can help support your joints with a joint health supplement. What’s one of the best joint health supplements? A triple strength fish oil supplement is a great option because it also supports heart, brain and skin health. TamaFlex™ Fast Acting provides proven joint support with a botanical blend that was shown to improve joint comfort, stiffness and function.**
STAY SHARP WITH GINGKO BILOBA
Supporting mental sharpness is a big concern for aging adults. A gingko biloba supplement like GNC Herbal Plus® Gingko Biloba 120mg may support healthy memory function.
SIMPLIFY YOUR SUPPLEMENTS WITH A VITAPAK® PROGRAM
A GNC 50 Plus Vitapak® Program makes it easy to support healthy aging with convenient daily vitamin packs that provide targeted, nutritional support. The GNC Mega Men® 50 Plus Vitapak® Program includes antioxidants and formulas for men’s health, heart health, prostate health and mental sharpness. The Women’s Ultra Mega® 50 Plus Vitapak® provides antioxidants and formulas for women’s health, memory support, heart health and bone health.
No matter what stage of life you’re in, find support to help you age well and live well at GNC.
^Statin drugs can reduce the amount of natural CoQ10 within the body. Supplementing with CoQ10 helps replenish CoQ10 levels within the body. CoQ10 is not a Statin replacement and does not lower cholesterol. Consult your doctor before discontinuing any medications when taking CoQ10.
**In a randomized, double blinded trial, 90 healthy adults took 125 mg of TamaFlex or placebo twice daily for 90 days. Those taking TamaFlex had improved (i) joint comfort, stiffness and function (WOMAC), (ii) walking speed and distance, (iii) use of stairs, and (iv) range of motion in the joint. Improvements were seen as early as 2 weeks for all outcomes but joint function (as early as 1 month).