How Do Vitamins Promote Healthy Aging?

When we’re younger, we think that we’re invincible. We assume we can eat what we like, go to sleep when we like, party the night away, and generally lead a decadent and unhealthy lifestyle and still wake up in the morning feeling relatively fresh. As time goes by however, we find that, actually, we aren’t invincible and that we need to take care of ourselves. Growing older is a given, but what isn’t guaranteed is that we will age healthily. Some people do sadly age worse than others, both internally and externally. Ideally as we age we will look relatively young and healthy, and more important, we will be fit and healthy. Vitamins, both in supplement form and from whole foods, can promote healthy aging in a variety of different ways. Here’s a look at some of the main ways in which vitamins promote healthy aging.

Vitamins can promote healthy blood cells – As we grow older, we find that we are unable to absorb as many nutrients from whole foods as when we were younger. Because of this, vitamin deficiencies are much more common in older people, which facilitates the necessity of taking vitamin supplements. Vitamin B12 for example, helps to regulate healthy nerve function and red blood cell production. Red blood cells are essential because they carry oxygen and nutrients around your body to your cells, so the more red blood cells you have, the healthier your other cells will be as a result. For optimal results, try supplementing vitamin B12 with an iron supplement. In terms of whole food sources, B12 is found in foods such as fish, meat, and dairy.

Vitamins help increase energy levels and boost cellular health – Folic acid is another member of the vitamin B family. This nutrient is very important because it helps to promote a healthy metabolism, which in turn helps to boost energy levels and fight off lethargy. As well as that, folic acid is also important for cellular health and function. Age-related cellular decline puts everybody’s health at risk, so the healthier you can keep your cells, the better.

Vitamins boost the immune system – The human immune system is truly magnificent when you stop and think about what it really is. It is basically a biological defense mechanism that is used to protect us from illness and disease. The stronger the immune system, the healthier the individual it belongs to and vice versa. As we grow older however, the immune system begins to decline, making us more vulnerable to illness and disease. To a relatively young and healthy adult, the common cold is nothing to worry about. To an elderly person however, a common cold could potentially prove to be life-threatening because of their weakened immune system. Vitamins, especially vitamin C, help to strengthen the immune system, making it stronger and more efficient.

Vitamins can promote healthy bones – As we age, another set of issues we have to deal with are those relating to our bones. Older people often have brittle bones, and with conditions such as osteoporosis predominantly linked to elderly people, looking after our bones as we age is simply essential. Vitamin D is vital because without it we can’t absorb calcium into our bones. Calcium strengthens the bones and increases bone density, which is why vitamin D is so important.

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