Dietary supplements are designed to fill nutritional gaps and support the body’s changing needs. As we age, it’s possible we may face challenges in absorbing certain nutrients, either due to changes in digestion, medical conditions, or lifestyle.
Supplements can provide essential vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that may be lacking in the diet.
There are many dietary supplements available in today’s health conscious market. We have listed below some of the more common ones that people aged 50+ may find most beneficial.
These and other supplements are available in the My Best Years shop and a link has been provided for each supplement along with the below.
Protein
Overview
Protein supplements (e.g., whey, casein, plant proteins) supply concentrated amino acids needed for muscle repair, growth, and maintenance. They help ensure adequate intake when appetite or diet is insufficient.
What it Helps
- Age‑related muscle loss (sarcopenia)
- Impaired muscle repair
- Reduced bone strength
- Weight issues
How it Helps
Protein provides the building blocks for muscle protein synthesis, which declines with age. Higher protein intake helps preserve lean mass, strength, and functional ability in older adults. It can also help with weight management, aid in recovery and assist maintaining a strong immune function.
Benefits
- Combats age related muscle loss (Sarcopenia)
- Improves strength & mobility
- Helps strengthen bones
- Aids weight management
- Boosts immunity & recovery
Where to Purchase
You can purchase Protein supplements here
Magnesium Glycinate
Overview
Magnesium glycinate is a bioavailable form of magnesium with reduced digestive side effects. Magnesium is an essential mineral involved in hundreds of biochemical reactions, including nerve, muscle, sleep, and cardiovascular function.
What it Helps
- Low magnesium status (common in older adults)
- Muscle cramps
- Sleep disturbances
- Bone health and blood pressure regulation
- Anxiety/Stress
How it Helps
Magnesium supports muscle relaxation, nerve transmission, bone structure, and may help with sleep quality and stress response when deficient.
Benefits
- Beneficial to people experiencing any of the following:
- cramps
- tension
- poor sleep
- stress
- Individuals with heart or bone health concerns
Where to Purchase
You can purchase Magnesium Glycinate here
Creatine
Overview
Creatine is a compound stored mainly in muscles and used to regenerate energy (ATP) during activity.
What it Helps
- Sarcopenia (age‑related muscle loss)
- Reduced strength and physical performance
How it Helps
Supplementation increases muscle creatine stores, enhancing strength, lean mass preservation, and functional performance — especially with resistance training.
Benefits
- Improves results of strength training
- Helps counter age related muscle loss (Sacropenia)
- Assists post-menopausal women by helping manage the loss of muscle and bone density associated with hormonal changes
- Supports brain health
- Fights tiredness and aids in faster recovery from exercise
- Helps vegetarians or people with low‑meat diets (lower creatine intake) maintain Creatine levels
Where to Purchase
You can purchase Creatine here
Glutamine
Overview
Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body and plays roles in immune function, gut health, and nitrogen transport.
What it Helps
- Age related muscle loss (Sacropenia)
- Gut mucosal integrity
- Immune function under stress
- Recovery after illness or injury
How it Helps
Glutamine fuels immune cells and intestinal cells, supporting gut barrier function and potentially improving immune resilience, mainly under stress.
Benefits
- Helps with muscle preservation (caombats Sarcopenia), especially if paired with exercise
- Helps to strengthen the intestinal cell barrier, repairing the gut lining, reducing ‘leaky gut’
- Provides immune system support
- Provides anti-oxidant support, aiding in reducing inflammation
- Assists with recovering from illness or surgery
Where to Purchase
You can purchase Glutamine here
NAD⁺ (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide)
Overview
NAD⁺ is a coenzyme critical for cellular energy production, DNA repair, and metabolic processes. Levels decline with age, which has prompted interest in supplements that raise NAD⁺ (e.g., NR, NMN).
What it Helps
- Cellular energy decline with ageing
- Mitochondrial dysfunction
- Metabolic slowdown
How it Helps
Boosting NAD⁺ may support energy metabolism, DNA repair pathways, and stress responses in cells.
Benefits
- Increased energy & reduced fatigue
- Helps improve cognitive function & brain health
- Helps boost metabolism
- Assists with DNA repair & cellular repair
- Supports skin & musculoskeletal health
- Assists with improving sleep quality
Where to Purchase
You can purchase NAD+ here
NMN
Overview
NMN is a naturally occurring molecule that acts as a direct precursor to NAD⁺ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) — a coenzyme found in all living cells that is essential for cellular energy production, DNA repair, metabolism, and mitochondrial function. NMN supplementation is designed to help maintain or boost NAD⁺ levels, which decline with age.
What it Helps
- Cellular energy decline associated with ageing
- Mitochondrial dysfunction and reduced metabolic health
- Age‑related insulin resistance or metabolic changes
- Potential reduction in physical performance and muscle stamina
- Emerging interest in age‑related disorders like neurodegeneration and cardiovascular dysfunction
How it Helps
NMN provides the biochemical building blocks for NAD⁺ production. Because NAD⁺ is central to pathways that influence cellular energy metabolism and various repair processes, increasing NAD⁺ levels through NMN might help:
- Support mitochondrial energy generation (helping cells produce ATP more effectively)
- Enhance metabolic processes related to glucose regulation and metabolism
- Potentially help maintain muscle function and physical performance
- Support cellular repair mechanisms, including responses to oxidative stress
Benefits
- Increased energy levels
- Enhanced metabolism & weight management
- Support for muscle health & strength
- Improved cognitive function
- Anti-aging cellular repair
- Cardiovascular health
- Improved immune function
Where to Purchase
You can purchase NMN here
Collagen Types I & III
Overview
Collagen Types I and III are major structural proteins in skin, bones, tendons, and connective tissues. Supplements often come as hydrolysed collagen peptides.
What it Helps
- Skin ageing (wrinkles, loss of elasticity)
- Joint discomfort and reduced mobility
- Bone support
How it Helps
Collagen peptides supply amino acids that may help stimulate collagen synthesis, supporting skin elasticity, joint comfort, and potentially bone matrix maintenance.
Benefits
- Supports skin health & ant-aging
- Assists joint stiffness or early arthritis symptoms
- Supports joint health
- Supports connective tissue health
- Helps maintain bone density & strength
- Helps maintain stonger nails and thicker hair
Where to Purchase
You can purchase Collagen Types I & II here
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
Overview
CoQ10 is a fat‑soluble antioxidant involved in mitochondrial energy production. Levels decline with age and with certain drugs like statins.
What it Helps
- Reduced energy and mitochondrial function
- Cardiovascular health concerns
- Oxidative stress
How it Helps
CoQ10 supports cellular ATP production and acts as an antioxidant, helping energy‑dependent tissues like the heart and muscles.
Benefits
- Assist in enhancing energy & physical performance
- Helps reduce the side effects of statins (cholesterol lowering medications)
- Helps improve the functioning of the heart muscle
- May help manage, or delay the progression of, cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases
- Helps reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and damage from UV rays, increasing skin smoothness and elastin
- Helps manage blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity in individuals with Type 2 diabetes
Purchase
You can purchase CoQ10 here
Omega‑3 Fish Oil (EPA & DHA)
Overview
Omega‑3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) are essential fats with anti‑inflammatory and cardiovascular benefits.
What it Helps
- Heart disease risk
- Inflammation & joint stiffness
- Menopause related ailments
- Cognitive ageing
- Eye health
How it Helps
Omega‑3s support heart health, brain cell structure, immune balance, and inflammatory modulation.
Benefits
- Helps manage blood pressure, reduce triglycerides, and decrease the risk of heart disease
- Helps reduce joint stiffness and inflammation
- May slow cognitive decline, aid in preventing dementia, and help manage depression
- For women, Omega-3s can aid in reducing hot flashes, treating vaginal dryness, and managing depression and arthritis symptoms associated with menopause.
- Contribute to maintaining eye health as you age
- People with cardiovascular or cognitive ageing concerns
Where to Purchase
You can purchase Omega-3 Fish Oil here
Probiotics
Overview
Probiotics are live beneficial bacteria that help maintain a healthy gut microbiome.
What it Helps
- Gut dysbiosis (imbalance)
- Immune function decline
- Age‑related digestive and inflammatory issues
How it Helps
Probiotics can modify gut microbiota composition, support digestion, and modulate immune responses. They may also influence systemic inflammation and the gut‑brain axis.
Benefits
- Improved digestive health & regularity
- Enhanced immune system support
- Assist in antibiotic recovery
Where to Purchase
You can purchase Probiotics here
Ashwagandha
Overview
Ashwagandha is an adaptogenic herb traditionally used to help the body adapt to stress.
What it Helps
- Stress and anxiety
- Fatigue
- Hormonal balance (especially in men)
How it Helps
Ashwagandha may reduce stress hormones, improve mood and energy, and some studies suggest it can modestly raise testosterone in men.
Benefits
- Improved sleep & mental alertness
- Helps reduce stress & anxiety
- May improve memory, attention, executive functioning, and information-processing speed, particularly in those with mild cognitive impairment
- May help alleviate menopause symptoms such as hot flashes and anxiety, and it can increase DHEA-S (a “youth” hormone) and testosterone in aging males
Where to Purchase
You can purchase Ashwagandha here
5-HTP
Overview
5-HTP is a naturally occurring amino acid and chemical precursor to serotonin, a neurotransmitter involved in mood regulation. 5-HTP is derived from the Griffonia simplicifolia plant, often used in supplement form to support mental health and well-being.
What it Helps
- Anxiety and depression
- Sleep disorders (insomnia)
- Low serotonin levels (mood regulation)
- Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
How it Helps
5-HTP helps increase serotonin production in the brain, which plays a role in regulating mood, anxiety, sleep, and appetite. By boosting serotonin, it may help alleviate symptoms of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and improve overall emotional well-being.
Benefits
- Helps reduce symptoms of depression
- Helps reduce anxiety
- Can help Improve sleep quality
- Can help regulate sleep-wake cycle
- Improves appetite regulation
Where to Purchase
5-HTP can be purchased here
