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Dietary supplements can be beneficial at any age, but they can also have unwanted side effects, such as unsafe prescription drug interactions. They could also not work at all.

It’s important to understand the supplements you are taking and why you are taking them. Talk with your doctor if you are considering taking a supplement.

Dietary supplements are substances you might use to add nutrients to your diet or to lower your risk of health problems such as osteoporosis or arthritis. Dietary supplements come in the form of pills, capsules, powders, gel capsules and tablets, extracts, or liquids. They might contain vitamins, minerals, fiber, amino acids, herbs or other plants, or enzymes. Sometimes, the ingredients in dietary supplements are added to foods and drinks. A doctor’s prescription is not needed to buy dietary supplements.

Eating a variety of healthy foods is the best way to get the nutrients you need. However, some people may not get enough vitamins and minerals from their daily diet. When that’s the case, their doctors may recommend a dietary supplement to provide missing nutrients.

If you are thinking about using dietary supplements:

People over age 50 may need more of some vitamins and minerals than younger adults do. Your doctor or a dietitian can tell you whether you need to change your diet or take a vitamin or mineral supplement to get enough of these:

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 (PDF, 30.9M) recommends how much of each vitamin and mineral men and women of different ages need. For example:

Vitamin B12: 2.4 mcg (micrograms) each day. If you are taking medicine for acid reflux, you might need a different form, which your health care provider can give you information about.

Calcium: Women over age 50 need 1,200 mg (milligrams) each day. Men need 1,000 mg between age 51 and 70 and 1,200 mg after 70, but not more than 2,000 mg a day.

Vitamin D: 600 IU (International Units) for people age 51 to 70 and 800 IU for those over 70, but not more than 4,000 IU each day.

Vitamin B6: 1.7 mg for men and 1.5 mg for women each day.

Sometimes, too much of a vitamin or mineral can be harmful. Most if not all of your daily vitamins and minerals should come from food. When thinking about whether you need more of a vitamin or mineral, think about how much of each nutrient you get from food and drinks, as well as from any supplements you take. Check with a doctor or dietitian to learn whether you need to supplement your diet.

For a comprehensive list of vitamin and mineral intake levels for older adults, visit NIA’s article on vitamins and minerals or the Dietary Guidelines for Americans , 2020-2025 (PDF, 30.9M).

You might hear about antioxidants in the news. These are natural substances in food that might help protect you from some diseases. Here are some common antioxidants that you should be sure to include in your diet:

Currently, research results suggest that large doses of supplements with antioxidants will not prevent chronic diseases such as heart disease or diabetes. In fact, some studies have shown that taking large doses of some antioxidants could be harmful. Again, it is best to check with your doctor before taking a dietary supplement.

Herbal supplements are dietary supplements that come from plants. These types of supplements are taken by mouth, whether it’s by a capsule, tablet, powder, or liquid.

A few that you may have heard of are ginkgo biloba, ginseng, echinacea, and black cohosh. Researchers are looking at using herbal supplements to prevent or treat some health problems, but it’s too early to know if these are both safe and useful. Previous studies of certain herbal supplements have not shown any benefits.

It’s important to know that just because a supplement is natural, or comes from plants, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s safe.

You may be taking a handful of different medicines, dietary supplements, or over-the-counter drugs. Use this form to help keep track of your medications. Bring a completed and updated copy of this form to every appointment with your doctor.

Track your medications or dietary supplements with this form (PDF, 56K).

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) checks prescription medicines, such as antibiotics or blood pressure drugs, to make sure they are safe and do what they promise. The same is true for over-the-counter drugs such as pain and cold medicines. However, the FDA does not have authority over dietary supplements, which do not have to be approved by this agency for safety or efficacy before being sold to the public.

The federal government does not regularly test what is in dietary supplements, and companies are not required to share information about the safety of these products with the FDA before they sell them. So, just because a dietary supplement is on a store shelf, that does not mean it is safe, does what the label says it will, or contains what the label states.

If the FDA receives reports of possible problems with a supplement, it will issue warnings about the product. The FDA may also take supplements that are found to be unsafe off the market.

The Federal Trade Commission investigates reports of ads that might misrepresent what dietary supplements do. A few private groups, such as the U.S. Pharmacopeia, NSF International, ConsumerLab.com, and the Natural Products Association, have their own “seals of approval” for dietary supplements. To earn such a seal, products must be made by following good manufacturing procedures, must contain what is listed on the label, and must not have harmful levels of ingredients that don’t belong there, such as lead.

Whether you take dietary supplements or not, it’s still important to follow a healthy lifestyle. Try sticking to a healthy diet, being physically active, keeping your mind active, not smoking, and seeing your doctor regularly.

Read about this topic in Spanish. Lea sobre este tema en español.

Office of Dietary Supplements                                     National Institutes of Health 301-435-2920 ods@nih.gov www.ods.od.nih.gov

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health 888-644-6226 866-464-3615 (TTY) info@nccih.nih.gov www.nccih.nih.gov

Department of Agriculture                                          Food and Nutrition Information Center           301-504-5414 FNIC@ars.usda.gov www.nal.usda.gov/fnic

Federal Trade Commission 877-382-4357 866-653-4261 (TTY) www.consumer.ftc.gov

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition 888-723-3366 https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/office-foods-and-veterinary-medicine/center-food-safety-and-applied-nutrition-cfsan

MedlinePlus NIH National Library of Medicine       www.medlineplus.gov

Dietary Guidelines for Americans (703) 305-2881 DietaryGuidelines@usda.gov https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/

United States Pharmacopeia (USP) 301-881-0666 800-227-8772 www.usp.org

This content is provided by the NIH National Institute on Aging (NIA). NIA scientists and other experts review this content to ensure it is accurate and up to date.

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