Introduction
As we age, it becomes more difficult to get enough micronutrients from our diet alone. Micronutrients, like vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients, are important for supporting overall health and bodily functions. Deficiencies in certain micronutrients become more common with age due to many factors.
These deficiencies can negatively impact your energy levels, brain function, immune function, and increase your risk of chronic diseases. There are specific micronutrients that are more likely to lead to deficiency, including Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, and Omega-3s. Understanding age-related nutrient deficiencies and taking steps to improve your micronutrient status are important aspects of healthy ageing.
Common Micronutrient Deficiencies
As we age, it is more common to develop deficiencies in certain micronutrients that are important to maintain good health. Some of the most common deficiencies include:
- Vitamin D: This vitamin is crucial for regulating calcium absorption and promoting bone health. However, the body's ability to synthesise Vitamin D from sunlight decreases with age. Low Vitamin D levels can lead to osteoporosis and fractures (Holick, 2007).
- Calcium: This mineral is essential for bone health. However, its absorption decreases with age. Low Calcium intake can also lead to osteoporosis (Weaver et al., 2016).
- Vitamin B12: This vitamin is necessary for red blood cell formation and brain function. Decreased stomach acid secretion can limit Vitamin B12 absorption. This deficiency could cause anaemia and nerve damage (Allen, 2009).
- Iron: This mineral is required for oxygen transport and energy production. Low intake and absorption can cause Iron deficiency anaemia. Chronic inflammation also limits your body’s ability to use Iron (Andrews, 1999).
- Magnesium: This mineral is involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body. Deficiency in Magnesium is associated with muscle cramps, insomnia, anxiety, and osteoporosis. Some medications can also deplete your magnesium levels (Nielsen, 2010).
Checking micronutrient levels through medical tests and improving dietary intake of these vitamins and minerals through food sources or quality supplements can help prevent deficiencies with age.
Causes of Micronutrient Deficiencies
As we age, there are several factors that can lead to micronutrient deficiencies. Some of the most common causes include:
- Reduced Nutrient Intake: Appetite and sense of taste tend to decline with age. Older adults may eat less overall, skip meals, or restrict entire food groups. This can result in inadequate intake of important vitamins and minerals (Wakimoto & Block, 2001).
- Absorption Issues: Conditions like celiac disease, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and gastric bypass surgery can prevent the body's ability to properly absorb nutrients. Certain medications like antacids and antibiotics can also interfere with absorption (Russell, 2001).
- Medications: Drugs commonly used in older adults like diuretics, laxatives, antacids, and glucocorticoids can deplete the body of certain nutrients like Potassium, Calcium, Zinc, and Vitamins B12, C, and D. Multiple medications used together increase your risk of having a micronutrient deficiency (Lam & Schneider, 2004).
Symptoms
Micronutrient deficiencies can become obvious in various symptoms that negatively impact your health and quality of life. Some of the most common symptoms of micronutrient deficiencies include:
- Fatigue: Deficiencies in Iron, Vitamin B12, and other nutrients can lead to fatigue and low energy levels. This occurs because these micronutrients are essential for cellular energy production. Deficiencies in these nutrients could make you feel chronically tired, weak, and sluggish (Verdon et al., 2003).
- Frequent Illness: Micronutrients like Vitamin A, C, D, E, and some B-Vitamins help regulate and strengthen the immune system. Nutrient deficiencies affect your immune system and can result in you becoming sick more often with common colds, flu, infections, and other illnesses (Wintergerst et al., 2007).
- Bone Fractures: A deficiency in Calcium, Vitamin D, or Vitamin K negatively impacts bone health over time. This increases the risk of fractures, breaks, and osteoporosis later in life. Getting enough micronutrients helps build and maintain strong, resilient bones (Bischoff-Ferrari et al., 2005).
- Anaemia: A common result of Iron deficiency. Getting adequate micronutrients through your diet and/or supplementation can help prevent and alleviate symptoms associated with an Iron deficiency.
Nutrients to focus on include Calcium, Vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K, Iron, and Omega-3 fatty acids. Boosting your intake of these micronutrients provides energy, strengthens immunity, supports bone health, prevents anaemia, and generally improves your well-being (Bischoff-Ferrari et al., 2005).
Assessing Micronutrient Status
Knowing your current level of micronutrients is important for identifying any deficiencies you may have. Here are some ways to assess your micronutrient status:
Physical exam - Your doctor can check for physical signs of nutrient deficiencies during your regular checkups.
Blood tests - Blood tests are used to directly measure the levels of vitamins, minerals and other micronutrients in your blood. Your doctor can order blood tests to check for deficiencies in Iron, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Folate and more.
Improving Micronutrient Intake
As we age, our dietary needs change, but correcting micronutrient deficiencies can be as easy as being mindful of getting proper nutrition. Here are some tips:
- Eat more fruits and vegetables. Focus on getting a variety of colours to maximise the different vitamins and minerals. Good options are citrus fruits, dark leafy greens, carrots, tomatoes and squash.
- Choose whole grains and cereals. Opt for wholewheat bread over white bread, oats or whole grain cereal over sugar coated cereals.
- Include beans, lentils and nuts. These are great sources of minerals like iron, zinc and magnesium.
- Use herbs and spices. Seasoning food with basil, oreganum, thyme, and rosemary adds phytonutrients. Turmeric contains curcumin which has anti-inflammatory benefits.
- Take a multivitamin. A broad spectrum multivitamin can help cover any gaps in your diet. Choose one tailored for your age and gender.
- Consider targeted supplements. You may need an additional supplement for nutrients like Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Calcium or Omega-3s. Discuss the options with your doctor.
- Stay hydrated. Make sure to drink enough water. Dehydration can negatively impact nutrient absorption.
With some awareness of your nutritional needs, you can make better dietary choices as you get older.
Benefits of Motherkind OceaGlow Marine Collagen
Motherkind OceaGlow Marine Collagen provides a variety of health and beauty benefits. It contains collagen peptides that can help improve the health and appearance of skin, hair, and nails.
Improves Skin - The collagen peptides in Motherkind OceaGlow Marine Collagen replenishes the body’s collagen levels and reduces wrinkles, dryness, and other signs of skin ageing. Taking OceaGlow daily can help improve skin elasticity, hydration, and smoothness.
Strengthens Hair & Nails - Motherkind OceaGlow Marine Collagen provides amino acids like glycine and proline that are crucial building blocks for healthy hair and nails. It helps boost nail growth while reducing splits and cracks. OceaGlow also thickens and strengthens hair fibres to reduce breakage.
Eases Joint Pain - Motherkind OceaGlow Marine Collagen contains Type I collagen that provides structure and flexibility to cartilage in joints. Supplementing with OceaGlow can help rebuild cartilage to improve joint health and mobility, reducing pain from arthritis and overuse.
Supports Bone Health - The abundance of collagen-building nutrients like magnesium, phosphorus and others in marine collagen can help increase bone mineral density. This leads to improved bone strength and health.
Marine Collagen and Micronutrients
As we age, it becomes increasingly difficult to get enough of certain micronutrients through diet alone. Marine collagen supplements like Motherkind OceaGlow Marine Collagen can help fill nutritional gaps and maintain optimal micronutrient status.
Motherkind OceaGlow Marine Collagen provides substantial amounts of key minerals that tend to decline with age:
- L-Glutathione
- Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid)
Motherkind OceaGlow Marine Collagen can help restore depleted levels of these specific micronutrients. This, in turn, supports bone health, energy levels, immune function and connective tissue integrity as we get older.
Motherkind OceaGlow Marine Collagen is a convenient way to get enough of the micronutrients that tend to decline with ageing. Along with its ability to stimulate collagen production and joint health, Motherkind OceaGlow can help address multiple age-related nutritional deficiencies.
Conclusion
As we age, it becomes more common to develop deficiencies in key micronutrients like vitamins, minerals, and proteins. These deficiencies can occur for a variety of reasons, including inadequate dietary intake, malabsorption, and increased nutrient requirements. Symptoms may include fatigue, weakness, impaired immunity, and other issues.
Supplementing with a high-quality marine collagen product like Motherkind OceaGlow can help restore levels of some critical nutrients. Motherkind OceaGlow Marine Collagen provides a bioavailable source of amino acids that make up the structural proteins collagen and elastin in the body. It also contains many micronutrients. The nutrients in Motherkind OceaGlow provide a range of anti-ageing benefits while also helping to prevent and treat common micronutrient deficiencies.
Talk to your doctor to find out if marine collagen supplementation could be helpful for maintaining a healthy nutritional status as you get older.
