TURNING 50, 60, 70 or even 80 isn’t what it used to be. People are living longer and enjoying life more than ever. One desire we all share is to feel good and stay healthy as we age. More and more research is showing that nutrition plays a major role in determining our state of health and our susceptibility to many diseases.

While the overall improvement of dietary habits is the focus of much research on health promotion and disease prevention, healthcare professionals increasingly recognise that nutritional supplements such as vitamins, minerals and herbal supplements also play an important role, especially as we age. The August 2006 issue of Harvard Centre of Cancer Prevention (HCCP) Cancer News focused on the importance of taking vitamin and mineral supplements daily. Along with lowering the risk of fractures and neural tube defects, you can add, among others, heart disease, colon cancer, and breast cancer.

Heart and brain health

Higher strengths of vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and folic acid may be required for lowering homocysteine. High levels of homocysteine – an amino acid found naturally in the body – is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke. There is also a connection between high homocysteine and people with Alzheimer’s disease.

Antioxidants such as lycopene and vitamins C and E are also beneficial for the heart and brain. New research suggests that dietary lycopene may significantly reduce the risk of heart disease. In a recently published study by the European Study of Antioxidants, Myocardial Infarction and Cancer of the Breast (EURAMIC) – men who had the highest amount of lycopene in their body fat were half as likely to suffer a heart attack as those with the least amount of lycopene in their body fat. Researchers have determined that the level of lycopene in body fat is an indicator of lycopene content in the diet, so eat your tomatoes!

Boosting energy

The ability to generate energy declines with age. Your overall health also affects your energy and ill-health can sap it, leaving you feeling physically and mentally tired. A good quality B-Complex along with minerals can help boost physical energy.

Boosting immunity

Free radicals are naturally produced in the body and are highly reactive molecules that can cause damage to your body’s defence system. As you age, the body’s immune system is affected, making it even more important to take protective measures like taking adequate antioxidants, which includes zinc, manganese, selenium, lycopene, vitamin A, C, and E to neutralise the damaging effects of free radicals.

There have been studies done that showed that antioxidants, including lycopene and multivitamin/minerals supplements reduced the incidence of infection and also cancer. This could be attributed to improved immune function.

Eye health

Age is by far the greatest risk factor for eye disorders (cataracts, AMD – age related macular degeneration). As we grow older, the concentration of lutein in the eyes declines. Lutein is found in the eye, concentrated in the macula or “yellow spot”. Lutein promotes long-term eye maintenance by acting as a filter against the damaging effects of the sun, particularly retinal damage and macular degeneration.

Research has indicated that the decreased concentration of lutein in the macula with ageing and exposure to UV light leads to chronic eye problems such as age-related macular degeneration. However the body cannot manufacture lutein – the only way is from food or supplements.

Blood sugar levels

Eat right, exercise regularly, maintain a healthy weight – these can help you reduce your risk of diabetes as you grow older. When shopping for a daily supplement for those over 45, remember to look for new-generation products that have the better combinations of vitamins and minerals, including phytonutrients such as good quality pesticide-free ginseng, standardised extracts of lycopene, lutein and rutin.