Expert Corner

National surveys consistently reveal that older adults often fall far short of meeting their nutritional requirements from their diet. This is partly due to their dietary choices, age-related impairments in their ability to absorb and utilize some nutrients, medication-induced nutrient deficiencies, and increased nutrient requirements due to common chronic conditions. While dietary supplements should never be considered as substitutes to a healthy diet, a typical multivitamin supplement with minerals can help substantially to fill the gap between usual nutrient intakes and requirements. Several leading nutrition authorities feel that a daily multivitamin is a prudent and pro-active health behavior for most people and especially for older adults. Sometimes additional supplementation beyond a multivitamins may be necessary; for example, most multivitamins do not contain enough calcium or vitamin D for older adults though there are products available that are formulated specifically for seniors. Inadequate blood levels of vitamin D are common among older people in part because of age-related changes in the skin that impair its synthesis by ultraviolet radiation from sunlight, low intake of vitamin D fortified milk, spending more time inside, and using topical sun screen when outside.