Vitamins after 50: what the NHS advises.

Quick answer. For most adults over 50, NHS advice is food first: a varied, balanced diet should provide most of the vitamins and minerals you need. The one supplement government advice names for all adults is vitamin D, 10 micrograms a day in autumn and winter, and all year round if you are rarely outdoors, frail or housebound, or live in a care home. Anything beyond that is a personal choice. If you take any medicines, speak to your GP or pharmacist before adding a supplement.

What are the best vitamins for over 50s in the UK?

The NHS starts in the same place for every adult. Its vitamins and minerals guide says: "Most people should get all the nutrients they need by having a varied and balanced diet, although some people may need to take extra supplements."

The UK government's food supplements guidance for consumers says the same, and lists the reasons people take supplements, including to "meet additional needs due to age, dietary restrictions or lifestyle". It names vitamin D in autumn and winter as one of the supplements "recommended in certain circumstances".

So the useful answer for over 50s is short:

• Food first. Fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, protein foods and dairy or fortified alternatives, in the proportions of the NHS Eatwell Guide.
• Vitamin D. The one supplement advised for all adults.
• Know the upper limits. More is not better, and a few limits matter more as you get older.
• Check with a GP or pharmacist if you take any medicines.

Do over 50s need vitamin D?

The vitamin D advice applies to all adults, whatever their age. According to the NHS vitamin D page, "everyone (including pregnant and breastfeeding women) should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D during the autumn and winter." Between October and early March, the NHS says, "we do not make enough vitamin D from sunlight."

The Department of Health and Social Care goes further for some people. It recommends 10 micrograms a day all year round for adults who:

• are not often outdoors, for example because they are frail or housebound
• live in an institution such as a care home
• usually wear clothes that cover most of their skin when outdoors

The NHS adds that people with dark skin, for example from an African, African-Caribbean or south Asian background, should also consider 10 micrograms a day all year round.

There is an upper limit too. The NHS says not to take more than 100 micrograms (4,000 IU) a day, and that "This applies to adults, including pregnant and breastfeeding women and the elderly". Our guide to how much vitamin D is too much covers this in more detail.

Which vitamins and minerals for over 50s come from food?

Most of them. These are the NHS figures that apply to adults over 50, with the foods the NHS lists as sources.

Two of these change around 50. The NHS iron page gives 14.8mg a day for women aged 19 to 49 and 8.7mg a day for women aged 50 and over, and notes that women still having periods after 50 may need the higher amount. The NHS B vitamins page says "it becomes more difficult to absorb vitamin B12 as you get older", and lists meat, fish, milk, cheese and eggs as good sources. If you eat few of those foods, a GP or pharmacist can tell you whether you need anything more.

What should over 50s watch out for?

The main risk with supplements is taking too much of something, often by doubling up across two or three products. The NHS sets out these limits.

• Vitamin A: 1.5mg a day from food and supplements combined. The NHS vitamin A page says that more than an average of 1.5mg a day over many years "may affect your bones, making them more likely to fracture when you're older", and that this is "particularly important for older people, especially women". Liver and many multivitamins contain vitamin A.
• Vitamin D: no more than 100 micrograms a day.
• Folic acid: 1mg or less a day from supplements. The NHS says high doses are a particular concern for older people, for the vitamin B12 reason above.
• Calcium: 1,500mg or less a day from supplements.
• Vitamin C: less than 1,000mg a day from supplements.

If you take more than one product, add up each nutrient across all of them, and never take more than the recommended daily dose on any label. Our guide to reading a supplement label shows where to find the amounts.

Should over 50s check with a GP before taking vitamins?

Yes, if you take any regular medicines. The government's supplements guidance says: "Always tell your doctor about any food supplements you are taking if you are prescribed a medicine or given a medical diagnosis. Some supplements may interact negatively with prescribed medications or certain medical conditions." A pharmacist can check a supplement against your prescriptions without an appointment.

The same guidance says people "should not take high dose supplements unless advised by their GP or healthcare specialist".

Where Immufix fits.

Immufix is a daily powder: one 25g scoop in around 200ml of water, once a day. It is not a vitamin D supplement in the NHS sense. A scoop has 1.25µg of vitamin D, a quarter of the 10µg the NHS advises, so on its own it does not meet that advice. Vitamin D contributes to the maintenance of normal bones and to normal muscle function.

A scoop also has 200µg (0.2mg) of vitamin A and 50µg (0.05mg) of folic acid, which count towards the limits above. Vitamin C, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, folic acid and magnesium contribute to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. Every amount and % NRV is on the science page. If you take medicines, check it with your GP or pharmacist first.

The short version.

• NHS advice for over 50s is food first: a varied, balanced diet provides most vitamins and minerals.
• All adults should consider 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day in autumn and winter, and all year if rarely outdoors, housebound or in a care home.
• Women aged 50 and over need 8.7mg of iron a day, the same as men. Vitamin B12 becomes harder to absorb with age, so meat, fish, milk, cheese and eggs matter.
• Watch the limits: vitamin A 1.5mg a day in total, vitamin D 100 micrograms, folic acid 1mg from supplements.
• On regular medicines, check any supplement with your GP or pharmacist first.

Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking medication, speak to your GP or pharmacist before taking any food supplement.