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Seven anti-aging supplements that are actually worth your money, according to top watchdog
With a valuation of $54 billion and climbing, supplements are big business.
Supplements do not have to pass the same rigorous testing protocols or dosage monitoring as medications, leaving the door open to dubious companies marketing elixirs with lofty claims such as reversing age-related memory issues and reducing wrinkles.
Some claim to beat illness, others to curb tiredness - and, increasingly, to slow down the aging process itself. But the science behind the vast majority of supplements is shaky.
A top consumer watchdog group has assembled a list of seven anti-aging supplements that are actually worth your money, with some caveats.
Supplements worth your money
Calcium
Calcium is a crucial bone builder and is already the most abundant mineral in the body.
It helps preserve bone strength, including teeth and constitutes a key component of maintaining density, which prevents breaks. As a person ages, bones become more brittle and prone to breaks - calcium can help stave this off.
The mineral even helps the body heal itself when a bone is broken by forming new bone tissue.
Consumer Reports' recommended calcium supplement
Doctors often prescribe an over-the-counter calcium supplement to seniors 65 and older who have brittle bones, something they can test for using X-rays and a specific type of ultrasound.
Vegans and lactose-intolerant people who don't consume food-sources of calcium should also take a supplement.
And those who simply don’t like dairy and don’t consume enough of it, especially post-menopausal women, should consider one as well.
But most other women and men of any age don’t need calcium supplements.
In fact, too much increases the risk of kidney stones and heart disease.
Everyone aged 19 to 50 and men between 51 and 70 need around 1,000 mg of calcium daily, while women between 51 and 70 and anyone older than 71 need 1,200 mg per day.
For reference, one cup of skim milk has about 325 mg of calcium, while a single serving of Greek yogurt contains 173 mg. Cooked spinach has 245 mg in a cup.
Before buying a supplement from the pharmacy, consider how much you likely get from your diet and proceed from there.
Collagen
Collagen is a protein that provides structure to bones, skin, tendons, ligaments and other connective tissues.
It has become especially popular for its anti-aging benefits.
As collagen reduces with age, the skin becomes less resilient and more prone to wrinkles and sagging, but collagen is promoted to improve skin elasticity and hydration, reducing the appearance of lines and giving skin a boost.
Consumer Reports' recommended collagen supplement
The protein, however, can help the skin retain moisture, which promotes a more youthful appearance and reduced fine lines.
It's abundant in red meat, poultry, eggs and dairy but is also produced naturally by the body.
When we're young our bodies make plenty of it, but this slows down as we age, leading to sagging skin and wear-and-tear arthritis.
The problem is made worse because too few seniors get a healthy amount of protein.
While the amount of collagen a person should take varies based on their desired effect, doctors say adults can safely consume between 2.5 grams and 15 grams of the protein per day.
Most commonly, the supplement comes in a powered form and people take between one to two tablespoons a day.
Fish Oil
Fish oil is full of omega-3 fatty acids, including DHA and EPA, necessary components for the formation of cell membranes throughout the body, especially the eyes and brain.
People who don’t eat at least 1.5 servings of fish every week, have high blood pressure, obesity, and anyone with a family history of heart disease should take a fish oil supplement.
Only about one-third of Americans eat seafood once a week, while nearly half eat fish only occasionally or not at all.
Fish oil has been linked with a decreased risk of dementia, including vascular dementia and frontotemporal dementia - diseases that affect millions of seniors and worsen with age.
DHA has been shown to protect the brain against Alzheimer's disease, specifically by limiting the production and build-up of a harmful protein called amyloid beta, widely believed to be a cause of the disease.
Consumer Reports' recommended fish oil supplement
A 2022 study published in Frontiers of Neuroscience examined UK patient data from 211,100 people, with an average age of 64. About 83,000 of them were regular fish oil consumers.
Over a follow-up period of nearly 12 years, 5,274 participants developed dementia. Among them, 3,290 had not been using fish oil.
Researchers concluded that fish oil reduced the risk of all-cause dementia by nine percent, vascular dementia by 17 percent, frontotemporal dementia by 57 percent, and other types of dementia by 10 percent.
Research into the oil's benefits typically included people taking a gram of EPA and DHA per day, or 1,000 mg, which is how it most often appears on the bottle.
A higher dose is available for people who have a history of heart attack or stroke or those at very high risk. That does is only available by prescription from a doctor.
Magnesium
Migraine sufferers and people who deal with frequent muscle cramping could benefit from a magnesium supplement.
Magnesium is necessary for regulating blood pressure and blood sugar, building proteins and ensuring good muscle and nerve function.
Doctors typically recommend that people with constipation, insomnia and chronic migraines monitor their magnesium intake and ensure they’re getting enough.
Consumer Reports' recommended magnesium supplement
While magnesium is abundant in legumes, nuts, pumpkin seeds, whole grains — especially quinoa — leafy greens, fortified cereals, milk and yogurt, about half of Americans don’t get enough of the nutrient from food.
Senior men over 70 are especially prone to magnesium deficiency, as are people with GI diseases such as Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis.
Some studies have pointed to magnesium’s ability to help with restless legs, a common cause of trouble relaxing and falling asleep.
A 2022 study involving 75 patients who had restless leg syndrome split people into three groups. One group received a 250 mg magnesium supplement, another received vitamin B6, and a third received a placebo.
By the second month of the trial, people taking both magnesium and B6 reported better sleep and a reduction in the severity of their RLS.
Multiple studies have found associations between chronic poor sleep or insomnia with a host of medical conditions that could lead to a premature death and a 2013 study suggested men with RLS may be at higher risk of dying early than men without the condition.
A separate study found migraines with aura - visual disturbances - are associated with an increased risk of death from heart disease and stroke.
Taking a magnesium supplement to improve sleep, lessen the severity of RLS and prevent migraines could lead to a longer and healthier life.
Men need between 400 to 420 mg of magnesium a day, while women need 310 to 320 mg. For context, two tablespoons of peanut butter has 54 mg and a cup of cooked quinoa contains 118 mg.
Melatonin
Melatonin is exceedingly popular, dominating a huge portion of the pharmacy’s vitamin aisle. Around 23 percent of Americans take it, sometimes nightly.
It’s not only found in the supplement aisle. The body makes melatonin naturally, with levels highest at night as the demand for sleep grows.
Consumer Reports' recommended melatonin supplement
The recommended dose is between one and five milligrams. Yet the supplement aisle is often full of dosages of 10, 15, and 20 milligrams, even as high as 60 milligrams.
Many people take it nightly, but that is not recommended.
More than one-third of adults take it every day at an average of 4.8 mg. But it isn’t meant to be taken this often.
Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a sleep specialist at Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California, said: ‘Most people should not exceed a dose of 3 milligrams.
‘Any medication that makes you tired [like melatonin does] can increase your risk for falls, dizziness, and possibly lead to next-day sedation. I’ve also had patients report increased nightmares or vivid dreams with melatonin.’
Melatonin helps regulate the body's internal clock to promote sleepiness in the evenings and maintain a consistent sleep schedule, the key to neurological and cognitive health as a person gets older.
Melatonin signals to the brain that it's time for bed, while also stabilizing the body's internal biological clock to stay asleep throughout the night.
It also helps lower one's body temperature, which is conducive to sleep.
Melatonin can also help neutralize unstable molecules that speed up cellular aging and damage, known as free radicals, and it bolsters the immune system, which is crucial in old age.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is one of eight B vitamins and it plays an important role in the formation of blood cells and the function of the nervous system.
Healthy levels of B12 can stave off anemia, which leads to weakness and fatigue, and sometimes nerve damage, memory problems, depression, and heart palpitations.
B12 also reinforces the sheaths protecting nerve cells, which helps prevent neurological problems and preserve nerve function as a person ages.
And it helps convert food into energy by assisting in the metabolism of proteins and fats, a process that tends to slow down with age.
Consumer Reports' recommendation
Older adults whose lower stomach acid levels make it harder to absorb the nutrient from food should consider a B12 supplement.
Vegans and vegetarians should also consider taking B12.
The mineral is found in animal products, including red meat, fish, poultry and milk, things they miss out on.
You don’t need a lot of it – about 2.4 micrograms per day.
Typically, the amount of it in a multivitamin is sufficient, so there probably isn't a need to rush out to the drug store to pick up an individual supplement.
A pregnant person may need more, as B12 is crucial for fetal brain development and can help prevent a bevy of serious neurological defects such as spina bifida and a malformed spinal cord.
The evidence behind this is mixed, though, and it’s worth consulting with an OB/GYN before starting a B12 regimen.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D and calcium work hand-in-hand to support bone health. Without adequate amounts of vitamin D, the body cannot absorb calcium.
But it does more than help absorb calcium and promote bone health. It also helps maintain a healthy immune system.
It helps regulate the immune system’s immediate responses to foreign invaders and also helps keep defenses up long-term.
When there is not enough vitamin D, people are more likely to develop autoimmune diseases and infections.
For those with autoimmune conditions such as multiple sclerosis, getting enough vitamin D might not only help with bone health but could also improve their immune system's function.
Consumer Reports' recommendation
The Institute of Medicine advises that healthy adults should get 600 international unit (IU) of vitamin D daily when sunlight is scarce, such as during the winter, increasing to 800 IU for those over 70 years old.
A three-ounce serving of salmon offers approximately 450 IU, while a cup of vitamin D-fortified cow’s milk contains about 120 IU. Other sources include fortified plant-based milks, orange juice, yogurt, margarine, and breakfast cereals.
Another report compiled results from 25 past clinical trials covering more than 7,500 people examining vitamin D’s ability to regulate emotions. Researchers concluded that ‘vitamin D had an effect on patients with major depressive disorder.’
Clinical studies in humans have repeatedly found that lower vitamin D levels are linked to depression and a higher risk of major depression. A large four-year study found that people with a vitamin D deficiency were 75 percent more likely to develop depression compared to those with sufficient vitamin D levels.
About 20 percent of vitamin D comes from the food we eat, while the other 80 percent is produced in the skin when it is exposed to sunlight.
Getting enough vitamin D relies heavily on sunlight. A short exposure of 15–20 minutes to direct sunlight can help your body produce vitamin D. However, longer exposure can lead to the formation of other compounds that don't help with vitamin D levels.
According to the Endocrine Society, people aged 75 and up and those younger than 75 with prediabetes should consider taking a vitamin D supplement. Screening for low vitamin D is also a good idea for people with osteoporosis or other bone problems and people with low sun exposure at any time of the year.
Adults up to 70 need 15 micrograms of vitamin D each day, and those 71 and over need 20 micrograms. It’s important to not exceed 100 micrograms, which can cause toxicity
Supplements to skip
Vitamin C
Unless you’re an 18th-century pirate, chances of being vitamin C deficient are low. Only about seven percent of Americans have it.
It’s plentiful in citrus, peppers, broccoli, potatoes, berries, spinach, tomatoes, mango, and Brussels sprouts.
While low levels of vitamin C have been linked to a range of health issues from high blood pressure to gallbladder disease and a buildup of plaque in blood vessels that can lead to heart attack, most of the vitamin C the body needs comes from food.
According to physicians at Mount Sinai Hospital: ‘There is no conclusive evidence that taking vitamin C supplements will help or prevent any of these conditions.’
Probiotics
It sounds promising in theory: a supplement that replenishes levels of healthy bacteria to promote health in the GI tract and elsewhere in the body.
They’re often marketed as beneficial for people with irritable bowel syndrome.
A healthy gut microbiome supports digestion, strengthens the immune system, helps regulate blood sugar levels, and may even impact mood and mental health.
But according to the Mayo Clinic: ‘There is no clear evidence that probiotics are beneficial. While many small studies have been conducted, there has been no standardized way to study probiotics and their effects, making it difficult to compare the results of different studies.’
A probiotic might be helpful for people with a bacterial infection caused by C. difficile
Probiotic supplements, which contain live bacteria, are being researched for various conditions like antibiotic-associated diarrhea, eczema, inflammatory bowel disease, and high cholesterol. However, to see benefits, you often need specific amounts and strains of probiotics.
‘Don’t just grab any probiotic off the store shelf,’ according to Dr Pieter Cohen, a professor at Harvard Medical School.
Glucosamine and chondroitin
These supplements are often taken in tandem to treat joint pain caused by osteoarthritis, Together, they make up a key component of cartilage, which arthritis wears down over time.
Studies into its efficacy for pain and joint function in people with osteoarthritis have produced inconsistent results, with expert evaluations reaching contradictory conclusions.
But they do seem to have a strong placebo effect, with people saying they experience some relief, though the same is true of people in osteoarthritis studies who are given placebo pills.
Prevagen
The ads appear on TV constantly, with promises to promote brain function and improve memory loss using a protein derived from jellyfish.
The Federal Trade Commission and the state of New York have taken action against the company, stating that research indicates the company’s product does not work as claimed.
Dr Matthew Badgett of the Cleveland Clinic said: ‘I tell my patients not to take Prevagen.’