Science

Let's Talk About Nutrients for Women Over 50

7 min read
Woman over 50 years old smiling big up into the sky.
Woman over 50 years old smiling big up into the sky.

Article Content

True story: According to research, our 50s are the most optimistic time in our lives. That’s a theme that also came up in our own survey of 300 women ages 50-70: 79% told us that they felt optimistic about their futures, and another 69% said that they felt that they were currently in the best phase of their lives. (1) But for many women, this incredibly inspiring decade coincides with a major physical transition—and while the majority of 50- and 60-somethings we spoke to felt that they had a pretty good general knowledge of menopause and what to expect, a lot of them felt less confident about the details, like their nutrient needs and the specific changes they could anticipate.

“Half of a woman's life (or typically more) is after menopause,” notes Dr. Luke Bucci, our former VP of R&D. As our founding scientist, creating a multivitamin to support women through this often unsung life stage was always top of mind. “We noticed that the actual nutrient needs and shortfalls of women over 50 were not always being addressed. We noticed gaps between what was known and what was missing or imbalanced in many products available.” So many of the women over 50 we’ve spoken to feel more amazing than ever, and we wanted to create something that would help support you as you take life on. The result, of course, was Essential for Women 50+—a multivitamin with eight nutrients designed to help fill nutrient gaps of postmenopausal women and support healthy aging from within.*

So without further ado, we’ll just say this: We hear you, and we’re here to help. Keep reading to learn about the nutritional needs to keep in mind as you go through this transition. (Because from our POV, no guesswork should get in the way of enjoying the most optimistic time of your life.)

8 Nutrients to Focus On After 50

Putting daily nutrition first is the driving force behind how we formulate our multivitamin. In other words, we believe in putting diet first, and then using our multivitamin to help fill nutrient gaps. That’s important for women of all ages. “We always wanted to give women over 50 the same attention as we gave women 18-50 years," says Dr. Luke. "Needs change with age, which means that we required a different formula.” It’s important to choose a multivitamin tailored to this specific lifestage to help support healthy aging from within.*

These are the 8 nutrients we think should be a non-negotiable in a multivitamin for women over 50:

1. Omega-3

Omega-3 fatty acids play an important role in health and are often under-consumed. One of those key omega-3s is DHA, which is the predominant fatty acid found in our brains. But DHA is also a bit of a multitasker—beyond supporting brain health, it also supports heart health and normal vision. DHA is most commonly found in fish, but the thing is, fish actually accumulate those omega-3s from microalgae. That means the original source of omega-3 is vegan-friendly—which is why we cut out the middleman (er, fish) and source the DHA in our multivitamins from microalgae.*

2. Vitamin K2

You may or may not know that estrogen is actually a key player in bone health: Basically, it helps our bones absorb all the calcium we get through our diets. While it’s still important to make sure you’re consuming calcium through your diet, supplementing with more calcium on top of that isn’t necessarily the answer. That’s where calcium helper nutrients come in, and K2 is one of them: It works with a protein called osteocalcin to help support bone health and remineralization.*

3. Magnesium

Say hello to another calcium helper nutrient. More than 50% of women over 50 are not getting the recommended amount of magnesium, which is a shame because it’s such a key player in bone maintenance and development. Beyond that, magnesium helps out with cell division and plays a role in Vitamin D metabolism.*

4. Boron

This unsung hero is yet another buddy to calcium, working to support bone health.*

5. Vitamin D3

Listen up—over 97% of women over 50 aren’t getting enough vitamin D through diet alone. (It’s tricky, since food sources of vitamin D like oily fish, eggs, and milk aren’t necessarily reliable, especially if you follow a plant-based or mostly vegetarian diet.) And since we hope you’re wearing lots of SPF when you spend time outside, the sun isn’t always the best resource of Vitamin D either. But we can’t overstate the importance of vitamin D—it’s another key player in calcium absorption, and also supports normal immune function and normal muscle function. That’s why we include 50 mcg per serving of D3 in our upcoming Essential for Women 50+.*

6. Vitamin E

As an antioxidant, vitamin E supports the fight against free radicals. That means E is the kind of vitamin you want on your team—which is why it’s not ideal that over 86% of women over 50 are low in this nutrient. Our advice: Choose a multivitamin with vitamin E sourced from mixed tocopherols.*

7. Vitamin B12

Since B12 is primarily found in meat, dairy products, and eggs, vegans and vegetarians can have a hard time getting the levels they need—which isn’t great, given that B12 is essential to a bunch of different functions in the body. To name a few, B12 supports brain health, energy-yielding metabolism, red blood cell formation, and normal cell division. That’s why we think that supplementing with B12 is a good idea.*

8. Folate

Yes, folate, and not folic acid. While they’re two different versions of the same B-vitamin, folic acid is a synthetic form that might be trickier for some of us to absorb. (Fact: around one-third of women of a genetic variation that make it tricky to efficiently utilize folic acid.) And since folate also contributes to red blood cell formation , normal cell division, and helps make neurotransmitters in our brain, it’s good to find a form that most of us can use. That’s why we use a version called 5MTHF in our multivitamins—a more bioavailable form of folate.*

Protein After 50 is Very Important, Too

While focusing on evolving micronutrient needs is a good idea after 50, it’s also important to mind your macros, too—including making sure you're getting enough protein. One reason consuming protein is so important? Muscle breakdown naturally increases as we get older, due to something called anabolic resistance, which essentially means that it’s harder to stimulate muscle protein synthesis and our bodies become less efficient at using protein. Supplementing with a high-quality protein powder can be a smart way to help support any dietary gaps as you age and aim for 1.2-1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight each day. (3)

Why Are Calcium and Iron Missing From the List?

Let’s start with iron, which is important before menopause to help support the blood loss we experience through menstruation. But when we no longer have a period, our iron needs are considerably less—and most women can meet those needs through diet alone.*

As for calcium, we mentioned that while paying extra attention to bone health after menopause is important, supplementing with more calcium isn’t necessarily the answer—in fact, there’s a debate in the scientific community around the potential risks of overdoing it on calcium. That’s why we emphasize making sure you’re eating a diet rich in calcium, and providing additional support with nutrients that help out with calcium, like K2, magnesium, D3, and boron. We include all four of those nutrients in our Essential for Women 50+, so that calcium has extra help.*

This stage of life is a major transition, and you probably have lots of questions. We get it! But that’s also why we created our Essential for Women 50+—to help take some of that guesswork out of the equation.

References:

  1. Schwaba, T., Robins, R. W., Sanghavi, P. H., & Bleidorn, W. (2019). Optimism Development Across Adulthood and Associations With Positive and Negative Life Events. *Social Psychological and Personality Science.

  2. Menopause. (2017, August 07). Retrieved from Mayo Clinic.

  3. Shetty, Maya. “Protein Needs for Adults 50+ | Healthful Nutrition.” Lifestyle Medicine, 23 Jan. 2024

Meet Our Expert

Dr. Luke Bucci

Dr. Luke Bucci, PhD, CCN, CNS, Research and Technical Fellow

Dr. Luke Bucci received a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Texas and has over thirty years of experience in the nutrition industry, encompassing all aspects of scientific applications. He has brought blockbuster products to market, written books, patents and numerous articles, and developed certification programs for clinical nutritionists.

LinkedIn
Dr. Luke Bucci

Dr. Luke Bucci, PhD, CCN, CNS, Research and Technical Fellow

Dr. Luke Bucci received a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Texas and has over thirty years of experience in the nutrition industry, encompassing all aspects of scientific applications. He has brought blockbuster products to market, written books, patents and numerous articles, and developed certification programs for clinical nutritionists.

LinkedIn

Meet the Author

vhoff

Victoria Hoff, Writer

Victoria Hoff is an accomplished writer, journalist, and former wellness editor who has covered a wide variety of health, nutrition, and wellness topics during her tenure. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts from New York University, and after writing for Vogue, Elle, Byrdie, The/Thirty, and more, channeled her editorial skills into a marketing career.

LinkedIn
vhoff

Victoria Hoff, Writer

Victoria Hoff is an accomplished writer, journalist, and former wellness editor who has covered a wide variety of health, nutrition, and wellness topics during her tenure. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts from New York University, and after writing for Vogue, Elle, Byrdie, The/Thirty, and more, channeled her editorial skills into a marketing career.

LinkedIn

Share

Find Your Ritual

Related Articles

See All Articles