Ranked by evidence

Best supplements for older adults

With age, the useful supplements mostly correct problems that become common, such as poor B12 absorption, low vitamin D and muscle loss. Everything below is ranked by how strong the evidence is for this goal, not by how popular the product is. Items that only help in a particular situation are labelled that way.

Picks are ranked by the strength of published evidence for this goal in otherwise healthy adults. A persistent symptom needs a clinician's evaluation, and no supplement on this list replaces treatment.

Evidence last reviewed: September 2026

Top picks

Option	Evidence	Best for	The honest note
Vitamin B12	Strong evidence	poor absorption with age	Up to 20% of older adults absorb food-bound B12 poorly, and deficiency causes anaemia and nerve damage that can become irreversible. Oral supplements of 250–1,000 mcg a day reliably correct it.	View
Vitamin D3	Strong evidence	correcting deficiency and bone health	Deficiency is very common, and together with calcium, correcting it reduces fracture risk in older adults with low levels. It does not prevent heart disease or cancer if your levels are already normal.	View

Solid options

Option	Evidence	Best for	The honest note
Whey Protein Isolate	Strong evidence	sarcopenia alongside resistance exercise	With resistance exercise, whey improved muscle mass and strength in older adults with sarcopenia, though the effect is modest and depends on the training. Older adults often need the higher end of 20–40 g per serving.	View
Senior Multivitamin (50+)	Moderate evidence	covering B12 and vitamin D gaps	The COSMOS trials found a small benefit for memory and global cognition, but no protection against heart disease. Choose one without iron unless a clinician has confirmed you need it.	View
Citicoline (CDP-Choline)	Moderate evidence	memory in healthy older adults	A 12-week trial of 500 mg a day improved episodic memory in healthy adults aged 50–85, with supportive data in mild cognitive impairment. It is a single study with industry involvement, so treat it as promising rather than settled.	View
HMB (β-Hydroxy-β-Methylbutyrate)	Limited evidence	holding on to muscle	Added to exercise in older adults, it produced small gains in muscle mass and some strength measures at the usual 3 g a day. Its real use is anti-catabolic, not building muscle in young lifters.	View

Situational

Option	Evidence	Best for	The honest note
EAA (Essential Amino Acids)	Moderate evidence	low appetite or low protein intake	Essential amino acids drive muscle protein synthesis and helped older adults whose protein intake was inadequate. If you already eat enough protein, the benefit shrinks toward zero.	View
Bone Support Formulas	Moderate evidence	low calcium intake or care homes	Calcium plus vitamin D together modestly reduced total and hip fractures, most in older adults with low intakes or in institutional care, while vitamin D alone did not. Calcium can cause constipation and kidney stones.	View
Lutein & Zeaxanthin	Moderate evidence	intermediate or advanced macular degeneration	In AREDS2, lutein 10 mg plus zeaxanthin 2 mg slowed progression to advanced AMD by about 18% compared with beta-carotene. It does not prevent cataract, or AMD in healthy eyes.	View

Popular for this goal — but the evidence says skip

Ginkgo Biloba Limited evidence
A trial of 3,069 older adults followed for a median 6.1 years found it did not slow cognitive decline at all.
NMN (Nicotinamide Mononucleotide) Limited evidence
It raises blood NAD+, but meta-analyses find no effect on muscle, metabolism or blood pressure, and it is not lawfully sold as a supplement in the US.
GlyNAC Limited evidence
It restores glutathione, but an independent trial found no functional benefit, and retail capsules supply a fifth or less of the trial dose.
Phosphatidylserine Limited evidence
The positive memory trials used a bovine form that is no longer sold, and the soy-derived product on shelves has failed to reproduce them.
Calcium Carbonate Moderate evidence
A review of 69 randomised trials found calcium supplements have little to no effect on fractures or falls.
Cranberry Extract Moderate evidence
It showed no benefit in elderly care-home residents or people with bladder-emptying problems, the groups where urinary infections are most common.

Our verdict

Cover B12 and vitamin D, ideally guided by a blood test, and pair enough protein, with whey as the easy option, with resistance exercise to hold on to muscle. Skip ginkgo for memory, NMN and calcium on its own for fractures.