8 replies to this topic

[jdog]

I've been looking for information regarding supplemental intake for older adults. I've only been able to locate government sponsored websites that discuss this topic. While I'm sure the supplementation guidlines they suggest are benificial, I'm really trying to find a list that encompases herbs and other non-mainstream supplements, and not just vitamins.

Of specific concern are: healthy joints, better working memory, vitamin and minerals, age related depression, and general cognitive decline. I'm sure there's more to address, so consider this just the beginning of the list.

The reason I'm asking is because my grandfather just turned 86 today. When I called him to wish him happy b-day, during our discussion he expressed to me he wants to have the best quality of life during these last years, so as not to end up in a retirement home. He already supplements with vitamin-C, and fish oil.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[jdog]

I rounded up a list of five supplements that I think should be in his list. I'm just a psych major, so if my suggestions are sub-par, you'll know why.
I forgot to ask him about any specific health concerns, so I'll do that later on today.

This is what I got so far:

Multivitamin - Certainly a good idea in itself, but any ideas for specific vitamins?

R-ALA - reports of synergistic effects on memory improvement when combined with ALA. A host of health benefits, but most notably its function as an anti-oxident.

ALCAR - reports of synergistic effects on memory improvement when combined with ALA. Studies suggest improved quality of life and improvement of dysthemia for elderly. Here

Omega-3 - Beneficial for tons of problems associated with age related health decline. Supports CNS, mood, proper blood pressure, and regulating inflamation to name a few.

SAMe - Should put any depression in check. Cognitive benifits as well.

[Athanasios]

Vitamin D would be an important addition.

[jdog]

Just got off the phone with him and he mentioned some specific health problems:

Overactive bladder
Wakes up multipule times every night - maybe some melatonin?
Diabetes II
Glacoma
Cataracts
High blood pressure - he's perscribed medication for this
Joint pain - takes condroitin
Arm pain in both arms whenever he lifts above his head to perform a task, such as getting something from the cupboard.

[niner]

Most of these symptoms have an Advanced Glycation Endproduct component. AOR AGE Amadori and Carnosine inhibit formation of AGEs in vitro, and show beneficial effects in vivo. ALT-711 is an actual AGE breaker, though it is hard to come by. Some people on this forum use it. The bladder problem is probably at least partly due to AGEs, but BPH (benign prostatic hypertropy) is another cause that is quite common in elderly males. There are prescription drugs for that. An exercise program is very important for older people. He should have his doctor in the loop on anything he takes, and should add only one supplement at a time to watch for untoward effects.

[eternalone]

I agree with niner on the source of your grandfather's issues. The AOR AGE Amadori contains Benfotiamine which is great and may possibly aid in diabetic neuropathy.

I started my father (72 years old) on a combination of ALA, ALCAR, Biotin and he has felt a lot more energy. Also have him on a combination of anti-oxidants since cells produce more ROS from worn out mitochondria.

Another suggestion would be to increase his levels of Glutathione by supplementing with N-Acetyl-Cysteine (300mg/sustained release) and with Vitamin C (1000mg/sustained release).

Thoroughly do your research.

---------------------------------------

EDIT:

As a rule of thumb always back up what you say. I am such a dope sometimes. I mentioned benfotiamine in helping with diabetic neuropathy. So here's at least one study.
PMID: 15726875 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Edited by eternalone, 26 February 2007 - 09:58 PM.

[kevink]

This topic could get really out of control. There are so many things one could say and then this becomes people dispensing medical advice/diagnosis without a license. Niner was right to mention the MD component...especially for real diagnosis before jumping in with a box full of pills.

I just jumped in to say that AOR has a BPH product. "Prostapil" or something like that. From what I recall it uses a certain flower pollen and treats the actual BPH, not just the symptoms.

Also - since SAMe is so..."different" for everybody, I wouldn't give it to someone as a first course of attack.

For instance, I put my step-dad (60) on OrthoMind (super easy to figure out since it's a pre mix) and Ortho Core and Geronova RALA-Plus because he had slight slowing mental function and memory recall. A week or so after starting he felt a huge diff and as a side benefit his mood increased greatly.

So the ALCAR/RALA combo really kicked in for him and produced a great result in combination with the superior multi and other contributing factors.

Also - there's nothing wrong with using the LEF.org site and using their disease and condition specific breakdowns to get a solid starting point for the diagnosed issues you mentioned. Watch out for mixing supps with prescription meds...they don't play nicely together sometimes. (of course...watch out for LEF misinformation...it's only a starting point not the necessarily the correct answer).

good luck.

[zoolander]

The first on the list IMO would be to supplement their everyday life with some resistance training. Couple this with a good source of dietary protein.

Then some basics to see how they handle it

A good multivit/min.
melatonin
fish oil

A word of warning though, be careful what you introduce to them. If they have any medical conditions you must be sure that there will be no medication-supplement interactions. Additionally, you do not want to give them something that will make their condition worse. For example, N-acetylcysteine given to someone with a peptic ulcer. Or Vitamin E given to someone on warfirin.

[jdog]

First off, thanks to everyone for their input.

We had already discussed that before implementing any supps he'd want to talk it over with his doctor first. I'll make sure to remind him of this.

Being 86 years old he already has had numerous discussions with his doc about the importance of excercise, and I know for a fact that he does some walking - though to what extent, I'm not sure. I'll talk with him about this a bit more.

None of the suggestions given to me on this site will be interpreted as doctor's advice, and that any advice under consideration will be discussed with his doctor prior to its implementation. Just wanted to get that out of the way. [thumb]

The more research I've done, the more supplements I've added to the list (shocking, huh). Because cost is an issue, I'm just going to keep this list to the 5 most benificial supplements for him.

1) Multi-vitamin - depending on the particular brand we decide on, there's a good possibility at least one of the vitamins it supplies will be sub-optimal for his requirements. If I can find a multi that specifically targets someone of his age while meeting all of his vitamin requirements, then great, but if not, further vitamin supplementation should be pretty cheap. From my own research, vitamins he's probably deficient in include Vit D, Vit A, Vit C, and Vit E.
These dosages will vary depending on contents of multi chosen.
Particular vitamins dosages per day:
Vitamin A - <8,000 IU
Vitamin D - 600 IU
Vitamin E - <700 IU
(These estimates were taken from http://health.nih.gov/result.asp/719)
Vitamin C - 45mg (http://www.fao.org/D...9E/y2809e0c.htm)

Off the topic, I know, but while reading I found our government's take at an anti-aging website, National Institute on Aginghttp://www.nia.nih.gov/. Thought I'd do a search on 'lipoic acid', and the only thing which came up, was a study conducted on dogs to determine the correlation between diet, exercise, and ability to learn. Nothing else. I know the government has strict limitations as to what they can and can't advise the public to take - even if it is good for you - but geez, I can't even find the suggested EPA and DHA intake!

2) Fish Oil
Dosage at 1g 1x/day
3) R-ALA
Dosage at 100mg 3x/day
4) ALCAR
Dosage at 500mg 2x/day
5) Melatonin
Dosage at 300mg 1x/just before bedtime

If he's still interested in any further supplementation I'll suggest an AGE component. Last thing I can think of, is to make sure he titrates.