Health for life
Strong, clear-headed and independent for longer
Most people who stay strong and clear-headed well into their eighties do a few simple things, consistently. This page is the warm, honest version: what helps, how much it helps, and where a supplement fits in, if it fits at all. Every claim has a source you can open.
The everyday habits that come first
Keep your muscle, your memory and your independence, so you can keep doing the things you love, your way, for as long as possible.
Protein at every meal
Eggs, fish, yoghurt, beans or chicken. Muscle is your best long-term friend, especially after 60.
Colour on the plate
Vegetables, berries and fruit every day, and fatty fish or other good fats a few times a week.
Water instead of sweet drinks
Swap cola, soda and sweet mineral water for water, or plain sparkling water with lemon. Kind to your blood sugar and your teeth.
Move daily, lift twice a week
A daily walk, plus strength training 2–3 times a week to protect the muscle that keeps you independent.
Sleep and good company
Regular sleep and time with people you like are quiet superpowers for a sharp mind.
Sources: PROT-AGE, Bauer 2013 · Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023: protein · Helsedirektoratet: fish (Norwegian example) · WHO: Sugars intake guideline 2015 · WHO physical activity guidelines 2020 · AASM and SRS consensus, Watson 2015 · Holt-Lunstad 2010
Veel mensen merken dat een hond zowel meer wandelen als goed gezelschap brengt. Overweeg je een hond te nemen, dan vind je eerlijke gidsen op doggmatch.com.
Een hond is een lange verplichting, dus kies zorgvuldig. Het bewijs gaat over meer beweging; voor eenzaamheid is het gemengd.
Bronnen: Dog ownership and physical activity, Christian 2013 · AHA statement: pet ownership, Levine 2013 · Umbrella review, animals and older adults 2025 (loneliness: mixed)
How we are different
- We do not list products. We show when something is relevant for you, and what may lie behind it.
- Every suggestion comes from open rules, written in public on the Method page. No chatbot, no black box.
- We use your lab's own reference ranges, and we say so when your result points to something.
- We do not sell tests or supplements, and we earn nothing from them.
When is a supplement relevant, and what may lie behind it?
A short map, not a shopping list. Always together with your own results and your doctor.
Vitamin D
Relevant when: Your result is below your lab's range, or you are older and get little daylight.
What may lie behind it: Little daylight in the darker months. Recommendations vary by country, mostly around 10–20 µg a day and often higher for older adults. EFSA's adequate intake for adults is 15 µg.
Sources: EFSA 2016: vitamin D reference values · Helsedirektoratet: vitamin D (Norwegian example) · Tidsskriftet 2019: vitamin D-høydose
Vitamin B12 and folate
Relevant when: Your result is low, you follow a plant-based diet, or your doctor wants to look at homocysteine.
What may lie behind it: Older adults absorb B12 from food less well, and some medicines, such as metformin and acid reducers, lower absorption.
Sources: NIH ODS: Vitamin B12 · Cochrane: folic acid with or without B12
Omega-3 (EPA, DHA)
Relevant when: You rarely eat fatty fish.
What may lie behind it: Mostly a question of what is on the plate. Fish once or twice a week or more, including fatty fish, covers it for many.
Sources: EU: food-based dietary guidelines for fish · Helsedirektoratet: fish (Norwegian example) · EFSA 2010: dietary reference values for fats
Creatine
Relevant when: You train with weights, or want to protect muscle as you age.
What may lie behind it: Muscle loss with age responds first to strength training and enough protein. Creatine is a small extra on top.
Sources: Chilibeck 2017, creatine in older adults · PROT-AGE, Bauer 2013
Magnesium
Relevant when: Poor sleep, once the basics are in place, and with modest expectations.
What may lie behind it: Sleep habits come first. The evidence for magnesium is small and of low quality.
Our honest take on supplements
- We rarely recommend supplements first.
- Many people get more from sleep, strength training and cutting sweet drinks.
- If a supplement makes sense, it is because your own lab value points that way, and we will say so.
- We do not sell supplements and earn nothing from them.
Supplements with the best documentation, as support
Food, movement and sleep come first. If you and your doctor decide to add something, these have the most behind them.
Creatine monohydrate Good for muscle with training
Best documented as a support alongside strength training in older adults. Early evidence for memory. Considered safe for healthy people; check with your doctor if you have kidney disease.
Sources: ISSN position stand: creatine, Kreider 2017 · Chilibeck 2017, creatine in older adults
Vitamin D Strong where levels are low
Relevant across Europe, especially in the darker months and for older adults. Recommendations vary by country, mostly around 10–20 µg a day and often higher for older adults. Your own blood test shows if you need it.
Sources: EFSA 2016: vitamin D reference values · Helsedirektoratet: vitamin D (Norwegian example)
Vitamin B12 Strong for fixing a shortfall
Older adults absorb B12 from food less well. Useful when a result shows a shortfall.
Sources: NIH ODS: Vitamin B12
Omega-3 (EPA, DHA) A stand-in for fish
Relevant if you rarely eat fatty fish. Fish itself does the job well.
Sources: EFSA 2012: EPA, DHA and DPA safety
Magnesium Limited
Evidence for better sleep in older adults is small and of low quality. Not for everyone.
Sources: Mah & Pitre 2021, magnesium and sleep · EFSA: upper intake levels, magnesium
None of these treats or reverses established dementia. They can help prevent shortfalls and support a good lifestyle. Doses and details are in your Pro guide.
Go deeper: the full guide
General wellbeing information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before changing your diet or starting supplements, especially with kidney disease, medicines or pregnancy.