Supplement Recommendations for Healthy Adults

Introduction to Supplement Guidelines

The American College of Cardiology recommends that a 65-year-old healthy woman should discontinue or significantly reduce her calcium supplements, ensure adequate dietary calcium intake instead, continue vitamin D at 800 IU daily, and there is insufficient evidence to recommend continuing vitamin C or fish oil supplements for general health benefits 1, 2

Women over 50 require 1,200 mg total daily calcium from all sources, with an upper safety limit of 2,000 mg/day, according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force 1, 2, 3
Dietary calcium from food sources is strongly preferred over supplements because supplements modestly increase kidney stone risk and may increase cardiovascular event risk by approximately 20% 1, 2, 4
If dietary intake is inadequate, supplement only the difference to reach 1,200 mg total, for example, if dietary intake is 700 mg/day, take only 500 mg supplemental calcium 1, 3
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends against routine supplementation with ≤1,000 mg calcium in community-dwelling postmenopausal women, as it provides no fracture prevention benefit in this population 2, 5

A 65-year-old healthy woman needs 800 IU (up to 1,000 IU) of vitamin D daily, not the lower 400 IU dose that many people take, according to the American Geriatrics Society 6, 7
Vitamin D at 800 IU daily reduces hip fracture risk by 30% and nonvertebral fractures by 14% when combined with adequate calcium, particularly in older adults 6, 4
Consider checking your 25-hydroxyvitamin D level to ensure it's between 30-50 ng/mL, as recommended by the Endocrine Society 7

There is insufficient evidence to recommend routine vitamin C supplementation in healthy older adults without deficiency, according to the National Institutes of Health 8
The American Heart Association recommends omega-3 fatty acids primarily for patients with established cardiovascular disease, not for primary prevention in healthy individuals 9
Consuming oily fish at least twice weekly is the preferred approach over supplementation for healthy individuals, as recommended by the American Heart Association 9

Increased kidney stone risk is associated with calcium supplements, with 1 additional case per 273 women over 7 years in the Women's Health Initiative trial, as reported by the National Institutes of Health 2, 4
Possible 27% increased risk of myocardial infarction is associated with calcium supplements, though evidence is inconsistent and debated, according to the American College of Cardiology 4
Doses up to 4,000 IU daily of vitamin D are generally safe, but doses above this level have been associated with increased falls and fractures, as reported by the Endocrine Society 7