By Samantha Knupp, MSc | Published 11 March 2026
There is an overwhelming amount of wellness information out there, alongside an endless array of supplements. You might naturally wonder: which ones should I actually be taking? Or perhaps, do I even need them at all? Let's take a look at the science and break this down.
What's the goal with nutritional supplements?
The goal of nutritional supplements is usually two-fold. First, they help fill the nutritional gaps that naturally occur in your diet. If you are unsure whether you are getting enough key nutrients, such as magnesium or vitamin C, from your meals, you can use supplements to ensure you hit the recommended daily amounts your body needs for baseline functioning.
Second, nutritional supplements help optimize your health to achieve specific goals. Research shows that some nutrients have powerful, targeted effects on the body when taken at doses much higher than what you could realistically get from food [1].
These are strong reasons to consider supplements at any age, but the situation becomes much more serious as we get older.
Effects of aging on nutritional status
We know the body goes through numerous changes with age. Unfortunately, these changes also affect our nutrient status, leading to widespread micronutrient inadequacies in older populations [2]. There are a few elements to this.
Reduced food consumption and appetite. A decrease in appetite is very common as we age. This can happen because natural changes in our senses make food less appealing [3], or because a natural drop in muscle mass and physical activity means our bodies simply burn less energy [4]. For women specifically, the hormonal shifts of menopause often change how our bodies store fat, typically shifting it toward the midsection [5]. To manage this, many women naturally restrict their calories or adopt new diets. The end result is that we simply eat less. The problem is that your body still requires the exact same amount of essential vitamins and minerals to function properly. Hitting those daily nutritional targets when you are consuming less food becomes a difficult puzzle to solve, frequently leading to hidden micronutrient gaps [6].
Absorption challenges. Our digestive systems also undergo significant changes as we get older. A common example involves atrophic gastritis, a condition that becomes much more prevalent as we age. This causes a thinning of the stomach lining which reduces the effectiveness of our digestive glands. This shift affects a large percentage of older adults and severely limits how well the body extracts nutrients from food [7]. Other natural shifts include slower gut motility (how food moves through the digestive tract), a decline in stomach acid, and a reduction in the specific biological helper molecules required to transport nutrients from the gut into the bloodstream [8].
This creates a compounding problem: we are taking in fewer nutrients overall, AND we are absorbing less of what we actually eat. This double hurdle directly contributes to the widespread nutritional deficiencies identified in adults 50 and over [6].
But that is not the only hurdle. The aging body is simultaneously facing other natural challenges that require powerful nutritional support to counteract. These include the gradual loss of bone density [9], a decrease in muscle mass [10], and an increase in cellular wear and tear [11]. Combined with the absorption gap, this creates a biological reality where highly strategic nutrition is absolutely essential to maintain your strength and long-term vitality.
But I have an excellent diet, is that not enough?
You might think this simply does not apply to you. You eat well and maintain a very healthy diet! But what does a "perfect" diet actually look like, and can you be absolutely certain you are getting everything your body requires? While experts agree that sourcing nutrients directly from food is the ideal scenario, whether or not that is realistically achievable every single day is an entirely different story.
A perfectly healthy diet is exceptionally hard to achieve. It likely looks something like this: eating almost exclusively whole, unprocessed foods (with minimal exceptions, like plain yogurt). It means prioritizing a daily abundance of vegetables, legumes, and fruits. It requires securing high-quality lean proteins and regularly consuming fatty fish alongside healthy fats like olive oil, avocados, nuts, and seeds. On top of all this, it demands a wide variety of these food sources every single day to ensure you are actually covering all your nutritional bases.
Consistently eating like this takes significant effort, diligence, and discipline. For most of us, it is simply not realistic every single day. Even with the best intentions, our modern diets often contain hidden nutrient gaps. Some crucial nutrients, like vitamin D, are notoriously difficult to get from food alone [12]. Others require meeting specific dietary targets, such as consuming fatty fish at least twice a week to secure high levels of DHA and EPA. For many people, eating the same food type so frequently is simply not realistic or desirable, leading to widespread population shortfalls in these essential fatty acids [13].
Furthermore, even if your daily diet is flawless, you may still miss out on the unique health benefits of targeted, high-dose supplementation. Science consistently shows that certain nutrients offer profound benefits for our bodies when taken at concentrations much higher than what a normal meal can provide [1]. In these cases, a healthy diet creates a wonderful baseline, but it simply cannot deliver that extra, concentrated boost.
Fueling for activity
For long term health and vitality, exercise is vital. For the active 55+ woman, nutrition becomes a crucial partner to exercise, ensuring optimal recovery and adaptation to the exercise that will provide the long term health benefits. Under-fueling is a particular danger. Historically, exercise has been heavily marketed to women primarily as a weight loss tool rather than a means to become strong, fit, and healthy. While this traditional view is beginning to change, it strongly persists today, resulting in many women consistently exercising while in a calorie deficit [14].
This approach easily backfires. Exercise essentially breaks down your muscle tissue. To rebuild that tissue and actually become stronger, your body requires adequate fuel [15]. If you are constantly exercising in a calorie deficit, your body lacks the resources to recover properly. Instead of building resilience, the workout just becomes a source of systemic stress. This leads to prolonged fatigue, potential muscle loss, and a high risk of overtraining [16].
Proper nutrition for an active lifestyle means eating enough food while intentionally providing the exact building blocks your body needs to strengthen muscle and protect bone. Active women naturally require more nutrients than baseline daily recommendations, yet this increased need is rarely reflected in their daily diets [17].
Protein is the perfect example. As we age, our muscles become more resistant to growth. They actually require a much larger protein signal to build and maintain strength than they did in our youth [18]. While protein is absolutely essential for recovery, major dietary surveys reveal that a significant portion of older women simply do not consume enough of it to meet even their baseline needs [19]. This protein gap becomes a critical issue for active women whose physiological needs are significantly higher.
This is exactly where targeted supplementation steps in. It provides a practical, efficient way to bridge that nutritional gap and guarantee your body has the precise fuel it needs to stay strong, resilient, and active.
The science of supplementation
If you are still not convinced, let's take a look at what the research actually says.
Looking into the science behind nutritional supplements can be frustrating. The industry is unfortunately full of biased, industry-funded studies designed to sell products rather than uncover the truth. Because of this, any claims about specific supplements must be held to a much higher scientific standard. Despite this noise, there is still a vast foundation of rigorous, independent research demonstrating the profound, real-world benefits of targeted nutrients.
Take cognitive health as an example. The landmark VITACOG trial, a rigorous two-year study out of Oxford University, investigated the effects of high-dose B vitamins (folic acid, B6, and B12) on older adults. The results were striking. Researchers found that targeted B vitamin supplementation significantly supported healthy brain volume and protected the specific regions of the brain most vulnerable to age-related changes [1]. Similarly, a recent large-scale clinical trial known as the COSMOS-Mind study found that daily multivitamin supplementation resulted in measurable, significant improvements in memory and overall brain health outcomes in older adults [20].
We see similar high-quality evidence for bone health. Postmenopausal women face a dramatic hormonal shift that accelerates changes in bone density. However, extensive clinical analysis shows that combined calcium and vitamin D supplementation directly supports this structural foundation. A comprehensive meta-analysis by a leading bone health authority evaluated dozens of trials and confirmed that this specific nutrient combination significantly improves bone mineral density and supports overall skeletal strength in older adults [21].
Furthermore, major studies tracking the nutritional habits of adults over 50 consistently identify widespread dietary deficiencies. Notably, these studies show that individuals who take supplements have significantly lower rates of inadequacy for vital nutrients like calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D [22].
Read more about the science behind supplementation of specific nutrients in our Science Hub here.
So why do you need nutritional supplements?
Nutritional supplements are a means to fill nutritional gaps that may be present in your diet, to help boost the absorption of nutrients by your body, and to ensure your body has everything it needs to function properly and age with vitality. They are also a means to provide targeted health benefits that normal amounts of the nutrient from the diet can't provide, as well as to support active lifestyles. While a healthy diet is always recommended and is a critical part of a longevity routine, targeted nutritional supplementation can provide the extra boost you need to approach your next decades with vitality.
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