What vitamins do women over 40 need?

What are the best vitamins for women over 50?

Vitamin D is the one supplement the NHS suggests for every adult. It says to consider 10 micrograms a day in autumn and winter, when the sun is too weak for your skin to make it.

Rarely outdoors, or cover most of your skin outside? The NHS advises 10 micrograms all year.

With dark skin, for example an African, African-Caribbean or south Asian background, you may make less too. So the NHS says to consider 10 micrograms all year.

For the rest, the NHS says most people get what they need from a varied and balanced diet. Some people may need extra.

Check your supplement gives 10 micrograms of vitamin D. Take no more than 100 micrograms (4,000 IU) a day, unless your doctor advises a different amount. The NHS says more could be harmful.

More in vitamin D deficiency and too much vitamin D.

What vitamins do women over 40 need?

In your 30s and 40s, the rest depends on your periods and whether you’re planning a baby.

Women aged 19 to 49 need 14.8 mg of iron a day, against 8.7 mg for men. Food can usually cover it: red meat, beans, nuts, dried fruit and cereals with added iron.

Heavy periods are a very common cause of low iron. If yours are heavy, the NHS says you may need iron supplements. Ask a GP or a registered dietitian.

Buying iron yourself? 17 mg or less a day is unlikely to cause harm. Take more only if a GP advises it.

Keep iron tablets out of reach of children. Very high doses can be fatal, especially for a child.

Trying for a baby? Take 400 micrograms of folic acid every day, ideally from 3 months before, until 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Some women need a higher 5 mg dose from a GP, for example with diabetes. Once pregnant, skip cod liver oil and any supplement with vitamin A.

See also blood tests for women over 40 and periods and iron levels.

What changes after 50 and the menopause?

That 8.7 mg is from food and supplements together, and the NHS says your diet should cover it.

Vitamin A is the ingredient that needs a limit. After the menopause, the NHS says to have no more than 1.5 mg a day from food and supplements together.

Why? Some research suggests that more than that, on average over many years, may make bones more likely to break as you get older.

Think of it like a monthly budget. Liver, pâté, a multivitamin and fish liver oil all spend from one total. One big day isn’t the worry, because the NHS limit is about your average over many years.

Eat liver or pâté once a week or more? The NHS says to skip supplements with vitamin A. More in menopause supplements and blood tests for women over 50.

Do women over 60 need B12 or calcium?

Not as a rule. The NHS says you should get enough B12 if you eat meat, fish or dairy. Vegans may not.

But low B12 and low folate (a B vitamin) get more common with age. They affect around 1 in 20 people aged 65 to 74, and 1 in 10 at 75 or over.

The most common UK cause is a condition where your immune system stops your stomach taking in B12. It’s called pernicious anaemia, and it’s more common in women around 60.

Some medicines lower B12 too, including the diabetes medicine metformin and acid-reducing tablets called PPIs. Your GP should know this and check you if needed. Never stop or change a prescribed medicine without your prescriber.

Over 1 mg a day of folic acid can hide signs of low B12.

Calcium stays at 700 mg a day for adults. Milk, cheese, kale, soya drinks with added calcium and sardines with the bones all help.

At risk of osteoporosis (a condition that weakens bones), or taking a medicine for it? Your doctor may advise around 1,000 mg a day, says the Royal Osteoporosis Society. Supplements of 1,500 mg or less a day are unlikely to cause harm.

More on B12 deficiency symptoms.

Is a multivitamin worth it for women over 50?

If you’re not low in anything, probably not by much. A US review of 84 studies and nearly 740,000 people found supplements gave little or no benefit against heart disease, cancer or death.

Multivitamins were the one exception: they were linked with slightly fewer cancer cases (about 7% lower odds). But the review says that evidence had important limitations. Limited evidence also linked vitamin A with hip fractures and calcium with kidney stones.

Prefer one tablet? Check the label first.

The best multivitamin for you is one that passes these checks. For the bigger question, see do I need a multivitamin? and supplements worth taking.

When to speak to a GP

Low iron or B12 can feel like everyday tiredness, so a blood test beats a guess. Book an appointment if:

• You think you may have low iron (iron deficiency anaemia): tiredness, shortness of breath, noticeable heartbeats, paler skin or headaches.
• Your periods are heavy. The NHS says you may need iron supplements, and a GP or registered dietitian can advise.
• You think you may have low B12 or folate. Signs: extreme tiredness, pins and needles, a sore red tongue, mouth ulcers, muscle weakness, vision problems, low mood or confusion, or memory problems. The NHS says to get it treated soon, as some problems can be permanent.
• You’re planning a pregnancy and have diabetes or a blood condition like sickle cell, or take medicine for epilepsy or HIV. Or you, the baby’s father or a relative has had a brain or spine problem like spina bifida, or a past pregnancy had one. Ask about the 5 mg folic acid dose.
• You’re at risk of osteoporosis or take a medicine for it. Ask how much calcium you need.

Taking metformin or a PPI? Ask whether your B12 should be checked. See also iron deficiency blood test and vitamin deficiency blood test.