Supplements and Healthy Ageing: What Matters After Sixty

BioMedic Africa Editorial Desk Published 29 August 2026 · Last updated 29 August 2026 · Editorial policy

The thing that matters most is not a supplement

Muscle mass and strength decline from midlife, and that decline predicts falls, fractures and loss of independence more reliably than most laboratory measures.

Resistance training reverses part of it at any age, including in people starting in their eighties. No capsule available anywhere comes close to that effect size.

Protein: the nutrient with the best case

Older adults need more protein per kilogram of body weight than younger adults to maintain muscle, and appetite often falls at exactly the point that requirement rises.

Food first: beans, groundnuts, eggs, fish, milk, meat. A protein supplement is a practical fallback when intake genuinely falls short, and should be discussed with a clinician if kidney function is reduced.

The three nutrients worth specific attention

Vitamin D, because skin synthesis becomes less efficient with age and indoor living reduces exposure. Vitamin B12, because absorption falls with age and with metformin and long-term acid-reducing medication. Calcium, where dietary intake is low and bone loss is a concern.

All three are cheap, well studied and worth getting right, which distinguishes them from most of the anti-ageing shelf.

Managing several medicines at once

Interaction risk rises sharply with the number of medicines taken, and older adults are the group most likely to take four or more. Kidney function also declines with age, which changes the safety of several minerals.

A periodic medication review with a pharmacist, bringing every pack including supplements, is the single most useful safety habit in this age group.

Practical things that get overlooked

Tablet size matters. Calcium tablets are large and difficult to swallow, and chewable or powder forms exist. Packaging matters too — blister packs are hard to open with arthritic hands.

Cost matters most of all. A collection of six products at a fixed income crowds out food that would do more good.

• Fewer, better-chosen products rather than a large daily collection
• Formats that are easy to swallow and easy to open
• A written list of everything taken, kept with the medicines
• A review date, so products do not accumulate indefinitely

What to be sceptical about

No supplement has been shown to slow human ageing. Products marketed around longevity, cellular renewal or biological age are selling a hypothesis at a premium.

The interventions that protect later life are unglamorous and well evidenced: strength, protein, balance, treating existing conditions, staying socially connected, and preventing falls.

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