The digestion and absorption function of the elderly become weaker, need to pay attention to nutritional supplements to maintain their health, the main attention to supplement the 4 kinds of nutrients that are easily deficient, you can prevent disease and save money.

I. Attention to vitamin D supplementation

The most common disease that occurs when you enter old age is osteoporosis. Testosterone in men and oestrogen in women decline with ageing and are prone to bone and calcium loss.

When it comes to bone calcium loss, many people’s response is that they should take calcium supplements, but in fact, many people’s diets are not deficient in calcium, but in vitamin D, which promotes calcium absorption, so even if they take calcium tablets, they still can’t absorb them for lack of vitamin D. So supplementing vitamin D is more significant than supplementing calcium.

Sunlight can provide “free” vitamin D. Human skin will use cholesterol to synthesise vitamin D when exposed to sunlight, and foods such as milk, eggs, marine fish, mushrooms and cauliflower are rich in vitamin D. As long as you eat a well-balanced diet and stay out of the sun for 1-2 hours a day, most older people will not suffer from vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D.

It is important to note that if you use vitamin D supplements, you should be careful not to overdose, as this may cause vitamin D toxicity. You can go to the hospital to check the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, if higher than 50mmol / L, then “dietary supplement” can be, do not need to take vitamin D supplements.

II. Attention to dietary fibre supplementation

The elderly need to pay attention to the prevention of constipation, constipation will not only increase the pain, but also in the forceful defecation, abdominal pressure, chest pressure will rise, there is the possibility of inducing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. And to prevent constipation, we need to supplement enough dietary fibre.

Dietary fibre is a special class of nutrients, because it is consumed, will not be absorbed by the body, but in the digestive tract to absorb water expansion, can produce a sense of satiety, reduce the total amount of food intake, soften the stool, but also adsorption of fat, cholesterol, bacteria, and other harmful substances in the intestinal tract, and to promote the discharge of feces.

Dietary fibre is mainly found in coarse grains, followed by vegetables, legumes and fruits. It is recommended to replace one-third of the daily staple food with coarse grains, eat more vegetables and ensure dietary fibre intake, which can prevent constipation and reduce the risk of bowel cancer.

III. Attention to probiotic supplementation

A human being, is not a single living organism, but a complex of ecosystems. In our intestinal tract, there are many probiotics that live in symbiosis with our body, which can assist us in digesting and breaking down food, provide vitamins, inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria, and strengthen the body’s immunity.

Elderly people are prone to flora disorders, which can lead to long-term diarrhoea, constipation, indigestion and other problems, as well as induce other diseases, so we need to pay attention to probiotic supplementation. Probiotics are contained in foods such as low-temperature yoghurt, sauerkraut, tempeh and aged pu-erh tea, which can be supplemented with probiotics when consumed regularly.

It is important to note that foods containing probiotics need to be consumed with or after meals to reduce the destruction of probiotics by stomach acid and to exert better health effects. However, people with severe dysbiosis will need to use probiotic medication to regulate it under the guidance of a doctor.

IV. Pay attention to vitamin C supplementation

Vitamin C is very important to the human body, and its functions include participating in protein synthesis, enhancing the strength of the blood vessel wall, reducing the brittleness of blood vessels, reducing spontaneous bleeding, delaying atherosclerosis, eliminating free radicals, antioxidant, and also promoting iron absorption to prevent anaemia. However, vitamin C can not be synthesised by the human body, nor can it be stored in large quantities, so it needs to be supplemented.

In green peppers, jujube, strawberries and other fresh vegetables, fruits, are rich in vitamin C, daily consumption of a catty of vegetables, half a catty of fruit, can meet the body’s need for vitamin C. However, many older people have a poor appetite and consume a single meal every day, which makes them prone to vitamin C deficiency.

If you need to take vitamin C supplements, use a few dollars a bottle of vitamin C can be, although dozens of dollars, hundreds of dollars of vitamin C supplements taste better, but in the same dosage, the role played by the same, there is no need to spend more money.

To sum up, vitamin D, probiotics, dietary fibre and vitamin C are nutrients that are easily deficient in the elderly population and can be reasonably supplemented through a balanced diet. It is important to understand that “dietary supplements” are more effective than “medication”, and it is important to pay attention to dietary diversity in order to prevent illnesses without spending more money. If you need to use nutritional supplements, you should choose under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist to avoid spending more money than necessary.