From vitamin A to zinc, there is a plethora of supplements available on the market. While some have been touted by researchers and medical professionals as healthful and beneficial, others may do little more than lighten your pocketbook.

As with any health-related matter, the supplements and dosages necessary for optimum wellbeing vary from person to person, and also depend upon factors like gender, lifestyle, age, prescription medications or existing health conditions.

Karen Carbone, natural health specialist at Island Drug, said she often assists patrons who come in with a sack full of vitamins and other supplements, unsure of which to take, how much, how often or why.

Many people have received suggestions from a friend, who usually is not a health professional.

“You hear that story a lot,” she said.

“Unless your friends are educated in health products, they’re probably not the best advisor.”

Nathan Armstrong, naturopathic doctor at the Reboot Center for Innovative Medicine in Freeland, said he too often encounters patients who are taking quite a few supplements without certainty as to which are actually helping.

While the best way to determine individual supplement needs is to consult with a health professional like Armstrong or Carbone, there are some types that are generally beneficial across the board, including a few particularly helpful for those in the over-50 crowd.

In general, she and Armstrong each recommended seniors take B6 and B12 and D regularly; women may also consider adding calcium, vitamin K and magnesium to that list to aid in bone strength and preservation.

B vitamins are helpful in converting food to energy, subsequently helpful in increasing energy and relieving stress, as well as assisting in balanced mental health and quickened metabolism. Among other things, B12 is essential for building red blood cells, while B6 is essential for the production of neurotransmitters, which allow brain and nerve cells to communicate. Deficiencies in vitamin B are common, as are deficiencies in vitamin D.

Though the National Institute on Aging suggests 600 IU of vitamin D for those ages 51 to 70 and 800 IU for those over 70, Carbone and Armstrong both suggested 2,000 IU for people living in this area, as residents of the Pacific Northwest are less likely to obtain the health benefits of vitamin D from natural sunlight.

During a recent presentation at the Coupeville Library, Armstrong explained that the sun’s rays are too indirect to supply residents of the region with the amount they need.

This nutrient is also essential in ensuring mental health, as well as the regulation of calcium and phosphorous absorption and maintaining healthy teeth and bones. It has also been suggested that vitamin D may be beneficial in preventing some common diseases such as multiple sclerosis, cancer and type 1 diabetes.

A naturopathic doctor can administer a test to determine whether a person is deficient in vitamin D, and by how much.

Armstrong noted that the vast majority of his patients are deficient, some by quite a large margin.

Carbone and Armstrong both also stressed the benefits of omega 3s (most commonly found in fish oils, but also available in vegetarian substitutes), as well as probiotics.

In regard to vitamin B12, calcium and vitamin B6, the National Academy of Sciences recommends that, in general, people over 50 consume the following amounts on a daily basis:

Vitamin B12 — 2.4 mcg (micrograms) each day.

Calcium — 1,200 mg (milligrams) each day for women; 1,000 mg for men between the ages of 51 and 70, and 1,200 mg after age 70, not to exceed 2,000 mg a day.

Vitamin B6 — 1.7 mg for men and 1.5 mg for women each day.