Knowing what supplements to take at what age can be confusing, so Trinny and Shabir dedicated a Facebook Live to the topic. While they’ve covered the fundamental supplements you should be taking depending on your age, it’s important to note that there are some issues that can affect us throughout our lives. For example, many of us lead stressful lives regardless of our age and stress can deplete our vitamin B12 levels.

You might not need to take all of these supplements, but here is a basic template of the supplements for every age…

In your 20’s

At this age many people live a fast-paced lifestyle and often they may be not eating the correct foods or may skip a meal or are simply not eating enough of the right foods. The two key supplements are a good quality multivitamin and omega 3.

Take the multivitamin of your choice ensuring this supplies vitamin A for healthy skin and folic acid or folate, which is important for anyone planning a pregnancy.

Take an omega 3 supplement because research indicates that omega 3’s display multiple benefits by calming inflammation; are required for hormone production; help to moisturise skin but also prevent acne, spots and blemishes; for brain performance and provide a host of other benefits. Remember that these are termed essential fatty acids because they are vital for a number of processes and the body cannot manufacture them.

Research shows that we don’t tend to get enough omega 3 from our diet – some indict that we’re up to 40% deficient. A good fish oil supplement will be of benefit such as Life & Soul Omega 3 Fish Oil or Krill Oil which provides the cleanest source of omega 3’s. If you are a vegan look to Echiomega, which contains echium seed oil. Flaxseeds and hemp seeds are a good source of omega 3 for vegetarians.

In your 30’s

You might be thinking about or already have had children. It would be prudent to switch-up your multivitamin. A prenatal multivitamin, such as Wild Nutrition’s Food Grown Fertility, is ideal as it supports preconception and the very earliest stages of pregnancy.

If you do conceive we would recommend that you change over to Wild Nutrition’s Food Grown Pregnancy, which is a balanced blend of vitamins and minerals to provide you and your baby with the correct levels of vitamins and minerals.

You should still keep up with your omega 3 supplement. It might be worth incorporating a good quality probiotic at this age because your digestive system might be sluggish. A probiotic will help support your digestive system and get your gut working optimally. Mega Probiotic ND is an eight strain probiotic. Taking it on a daily basis helps support your digestion, enhance your immune system, provide energising B vitamins and detoxify the intestines.

Eating more fermented foods will help to support the bacteria in your gut, but it’s worth noting that a lot of the goodness can be destroyed by your stomach acid, so it’s still worth taking a probiotic.

In your 40’s

You should continue with your omega 3, probiotic and multivitamin supplements. Unless you are trying to conceive, you can revert back to the multivitamin you took in your 20’s.

Generally speaking, most women enter the perimenopause stage in their 40’s. You don’t necessarily have hot flushes, but you may notice subtle changes such as lower energy levels or a loss of concentration. Phytoestrogens, such as clover and sage, have hormone mimicking powers that can help balance out the declining oestrogen levels. We tend to recommend Sage Complex to balance your hormones.

Neuro-Mag is another supplement that we would recommend people start taking in their 40’s. As you go through your 40’s you might experience changes in your sleep patterns and feel more anxious. Magnesium is required in over 300 chemical reactions in your body. Magnesium citrate is magnesium in a citrus form and has a cleansing effect on your body and helps to detox. Neuro-Mag is a different type and is absorbed efficiently and taken up by the nervous system, helping you to relax. It has a calming rather than drowsy effect, so it can be taken in the morning and evening.

Magnesium can be absorbed through your skin. There are oil sprays, which contain magnesium chloride that can be used locally to help ease joint pain. However, if you are looking for something to help support your nervous system, I would recommend Neuro-Mag.

In your 50’s

While you should stick with your multivitamin, omega 3, probiotic and Neuro-Mag, you may decide to give up your Sage Complex, if you have gone through the menopause (the average age is 51 years). You should consider introducing digestive enzymes into your routine.

During these years, your digestive enzyme production is roughly a third of what it was in your 20’s. The decline in female hormones can result in a spike in production of cortisol (stress hormone), which encourages your levels of insulin. Digestive enzymes help to break down your food and may help reduce bloating – we recommend Super Enhanced Digestive Enzymes.

You may also want to think about taking a quality calcium supplement, especially if you have a history of osteoporosis in your family or have suffered with joint issues. Bone Restore with Vitamin K2 provides three highly absorbable forms of calcium, plus several nutrients which are vital to help strengthen the joints and bone structures including vitamin D3 and vitamin K2.

We also recommend people in their 50’s have their vitamin B12 levels tested. Many of us do not have sufficient amounts of a specific protein (Intrinsic Factor) that carries vitamin B12 from the gut into the bloodstream. Signs of vitamin B12 deficiency: weakness, fatigue, short of breath, pale of jaundiced looking skin and sensations of pins and needles.

In your 60’s and beyond

You may wish to stop taking Bone Restore or your calcium supplement if osteopenia or osteoporosis are no longer a concern. Continue with your multivitamin, omega 3, probiotics and digestive enzyme. As well as vitamin B12, you should go and have your vitamin D levels checked because your body’s ability to manufacture D3 declines past 60’s even when skin is exposed to sunlight.

If you do need B12, then use B12 Boost oral spray. For Vitamin D3, I would consider the newer nutraceutical forms such as Micro-Liposomal Vitamin D3 for their ability to deliver this vitamin into each and every cell.

For more from Trinny, check out her YouTube channel, here.

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