4 Supplements Women Over 35 Should Consider Taking

Alright ladies, let’s talk about aging the way you want to. Even if your late 30s and 40s are years away, please keep reading! This post is all about proactive health and how you can leverage your nutrition to live your best life now, and in the future.

As women, it’s important that we’re aware of what is going on in our bodies as we age because there are things you can do to help you feel healthier and more vibrant. It all comes down to hormones.

In a healthy female body, hormone levels start to naturally fluctuate and slowly decline around age 38.

These fluctuations can last for 5-15 years and lead to a variety of symptoms. So if you’re in your late 30s or early 40s and find yourself googling ‘why am I waking up in the middle of the night?’ or ‘why are my joints hurting more than usual?’ — you may be experiencing an overall decline in estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. But that’s no reason to panic!

These hormones have a variety of functions and help to protect us from the effects of aging. We don’t want those hormones to decline too fast, as that can age us more quickly. But the good news is, your diet and lifestyle can help keep those hormones in better balance and promote optimal functioning overall. Today, we’re uncovering some of the top supplements that you can take (obviously in conjunction with a healthy diet and lifestyle) to best support your health after 35 and live a life that feels more true to you. 

Let’s dive right in to give you the latest evidence-based facts:

Manage your moods (& more) with magnesium

Magnesium is an abundant mineral in the body and is a cofactor in over 300 enzyme systems. So, not to brag, but it’s pretty important. As we age, our magnesium levels decline for two primary reasons: 

1. We usually eat less and specifically less magnesium-rich foods; and 

2. Less magnesium is absorbed from the gut and your kidneys start to excrete more 

Magnesium is specifically involved in the nervous system where it helps with cell communication and signaling and thus it plays a critical role in brain function and mood. When there are low levels of magnesium in the body, it can interfere with brain signaling and cause increased feelings of stress. Chronic physical or mental stress, in turn, depletes our magnesium store, which can lead to a vicious cycle of magnesium depletion.

Magnesium supplementation may help break this cycle as it has been associated with an improvement of certain mood disorders and can promote a more restful night’s sleep. As an added bonus, small-scale studies have suggested that magnesium might help to suppress bone loss and may even ease hot flushes (though more research is needed on this one).

Boost your bone health with calcium

As women, our peak bone mass is usually reached between the ages of 25-30. The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation has shown that a significant amount of bone is lost as women reach their 40s and 50s, increasing their risk for osteoporosis.

It’s in your favor to be proactive in this space, because the more you can support bone health now, the better off you’ll be down the line. Declining estrogen levels are associated with bone loss for women because estrogen is closely linked to calcium absorption, which is necessary for strong, healthy bones.

The European Menopause Society advocates calcium as the cornerstone of osteoporosis and bone loss prevention. To strengthen this recommendation, a number of studies have found that an increased intake of calcium in women is associated with lower loss of bone mass, effectively slowing the onset and progression of osteoporosis. 

Get the sunshine vitamin for good vibes

Vitamin D, aka the sunshine vitamin, is a hot topic and it’s one of the most researched nutrients to date. Although it is called a vitamin, it’s actually a prohormone. Prohormones are substances that our bodies convert into hormones when needed and it is because of this that vitamin D has a number of important functions in the human body. 

Vitamin D improves the absorption of calcium and as a result, can help reduce your risk for bone fractures. As an added bonus, correcting a vitamin D deficiency can also improve muscle strength, which can boost your performance during your workouts and reduce your risk of injury. 

Beyond bone and muscle health, some research shows that vitamin D may act as an antidepressant by regulating and protecting your dopamine system.

Dopamine is known as your pleasure neurotransmitter and it relays messages between your brain and your nerve cells. Protecting this system can support balanced moods and a more positive affect overall. 

While that’s important for everyone, hormonal fluctuations put some women at a higher risk of developing depressive symptoms and even major depressive episodes. You may be particularly at risk if you are already sensitive to hormonal changes and have experienced PMS or postpartum depression. So being aware of how you can support your mental health through supplementation at this time is critical.

Phytoestrogens to support natural estrogen

Phytoestrogens are also known as plant estrogens. They are specialized plant compounds that have similar properties to estrogen. They are classed either as lignans or isoflavones, both of which can be isolated from their food sources and taken as a supplement. 

There is a hypothesis that phytoestrogens help with declining estrogen symptoms, and it stems from the fact that Asian women — who consume a significant amount of phytoestrogens in the form of isoflavones from their soy-rich diets — report experiencing less of these symptoms than women in Westernized populations. This notion became quite popular as consuming phytoestrogens may yield other beneficial effects related to bone and heart health, and seem to have very few, if any, negative side effects. 

When it comes to the research, isoflavones have been more widely studied than lignans. A 2016 meta-analysis (which is a review of high-quality studies) found that when women added isoflavones into their daily routine, there was a modest reduction in daily hot flushes and an improvement in vaginal dryness (bonus!).

So, should I be taking supplements after age 35? 

At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that supplements should be supplemental to a healthy diet and lifestyle. Think of them as the cherry on the top. When deciding to take a supplement, it’s vital to look at evidence-based, reputable resources to see if the supplement is worth your while. After all, you don’t want to cause yourself harm or flush your hard-earned money away. 

If you are currently trying to conceive, pregnant, or breastfeeding, please be sure to consult your healthcare professional before starting any supplementation routine. If you have any questions on specific supplements at any stage of life, please drop them in the comments below!

For more on healthy living in your 40s and beyond, be sure to check out Baby2Body’s sister app, MBody — launching in December 2021.