Carmel, CA Many Nutritionists Recommending Vitamin B12 And Vitamin D3 For Seniors

A group of people giving thumbs up to the camera.


There have been debates over whether it is prudent to take just one multivitamin per day versus taking a variety of different vitamins.  Part of it depends on what your diet looks like.  Some believe supplements are not that effective.  “When you take things out of the food matrix and you put a single ingredient into a pill, it doesn’t have the same effect,†Katherine Tucker, director of the Center for Population Health at the University of Massachusetts Lowell told AARP Bulletin (June 2021, page 32).  In regards to B12 and D3, experts say that you can’t get them from plants.  In addition, as we get older, we begin to develop difficulty absorbing them in their natural form.  Vitamin B12 plays an essential role in nerve function.  A shortfall has been associated with depression, dementia, decreased cognitive function and anemia.  If you don’t get out in the sun much, a D3 supplement can be helpful.  It’s needed to maintain a healthy immune system, bones and muscles while protecting us from cognitive decline.  If you have diabetes, with a doctors note you can enroll in diabetes nutrition classes here at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP):

https://www.montagehealth.org/locations/profile/diabetes-nutrition-therapy/

They also publish a monthly schedule in the Monterey Herald with classes on fitness, estate planning, cancer and other subjects.  Many of the classes are free.

Keep Your Immune System Strong With A Mediterranean Diet

A farmers market with fresh vegetables and fruits.


With coronavirus running rampant, keeping your immune system healthy is critical.  There are a number of things you can do such as getting enough exercise, not smoking, staying hydrated, having quality sleep time and eating a healthy diet.  Sticking to a Mediterranean diet is a good way of keeping your good health, and it’s delicious.  A study published in the journal Frontiers of Physiology found that healthy people aged 65-79 who ate a Mediterranean diet and took 10 micrograms of Vitamin D daily for a year were able to help offset age-related declines in immunity.  The Mediterranean diet involves eating a lot of vegetables, fruit, nuts, whole grains and one ounce of food daily.  Stay away from red meats and instead eat salmon and other fish, with modest portions of egg.  Olive oil is the fat of choice, and a glass or two of red wine each night tops of the meal.

https://www.cedars-sinai.org/blog/boosting-your-immune-system.html