Best Multivitamin for Women Over 50: Full Guide

Written by: Angela Myers
Medical reviewed by: Ecler Ercole Jaqua, MD, MBA, DABOM

Most people can benefit from a multivitamin at any age, but once you hit your 50s, your body’s needs change. In this article, we’ve rounded up essential nutrients to look for in a multivitamin after your 50th birthday, as well as other ways to find the  best multivitamins for women over 50.

Somewhere between our 20s and 50s, the rules change. The body that once tolerated late nights and skipped meals demands more: better sleep, more intentional nutrition, and smarter movement. The same applies to your women’s multivitamin. 

Many people can benefit from a multivitamin “no matter how old (or young) we are,” according to Jaime Knopman, M.D., a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist, physician with Veracity, and the author of the book “Own Your Fertility.” She adds, “However, what we need in these vitamins changes as we age.” 

One thing that doesn’t change? Shopping for a multivitamin, which is tricky at any age. That’s because there’s no agreed-upon definition for what a multivitamin is or what ingredients it should contain, making it quite difficult to pick out the right one. Fortunately, you can say goodbye to any confusion, because we’ve rounded up the best multivitamins for women over 50, as well as additional guidance on what nutrients you need in this life stage.

Best multivitamin for women over 50: Quick take

So, what do the best vitamins for women over 50 have in common? “They give us what our diet does not, or give us what we need extra of to be the healthiest version of ourselves,” explains Dr. Knopman. 

If that answer sounds vague, it’s intentionally so, because the best choice for the person next to you may not be right for you. That applies whether we’re comparing a multivitamin taken by someone in her 30s versus her 50s, or two different people over age 50. 

That said, the best multivitamin for those over 50 may be more similar, since our health changes in similar ways as we hit midlife, which we’ll detail in the next section. 

Before we dive into that, remember: A multivitamin can help fill nutritional gaps, but it’s not a cure-all. A multivitamin, and any supplement, should complement—not replace—a balanced diet and healthy habits, including regular movement, quality sleep, staying hydrated, and managing stress levels.

How women’s health needs change after 50

“As someone who is closely approaching 50, I can tell you our bodies change a lot,” says Dr. Knopman, “From our hair to our eyes, ears, and bones, things start to evolve, and not always in the best way.” While this isn’t an exhaustive list, below are common shifts you may notice as physiological systems begin to change during this life stage. Some simply require extra nutritional support.

• Hair and skin: Both may start to show signs of aging, such as grey hair, thinning hair, fine lines, and/or wrinkles.

• Vision: As we age, it’s normal to experience changes to vision, such as more difficulty seeing up close or distinguishing between colors. 

• Bone health: Bone density begins to decline as estrogen levels fall during the menopausal transition, increasing the risk of osteoporosis after menopause.

• Weight management: Metabolism often slows as we age, making it more difficult to lose weight and maintain muscle. 

• Digestion: Gut motility, how food moves through the digestive tract, slows with age, increasing the likelihood of digestive issues. The absorption of many essential nutrients decreases with age as well. 

• Perimenopause: The period leading up to menopause, when there hasn’t been a menstrual cycle for 12 consecutive months, is full of changes. Common symptoms during perimenopause include hot flashes, sleep troubles, anxiety and mood changes, and brain fog. 

• Menopause: The average age when the menstrual cycle ends is 52. Around this time, hormonal levels shift, which can cause symptoms similar to perimenopause. This transition can also contribute to many age-related changes such as the slowing of metabolism, the increased risk for stroke and osteoporosis, and even changes in energy levels. 

• Heart health: The risk of heart disease increases after the menopause transition, because levels of estrogen and other hormones that support heart health decline. 

10 key nutrients women need after 50

Many age-related changes present serious health challenges, but the right nutrients can help combat them. Many of these nutrients are available via diet, as a supplement, or through sunlight, in the case of vitamin D. 

Vitamins

• Vitamin A: Vitamin A supports immune health as well as cellular communication and development, eye health, and heart health. All of the above are more at risk for complications and diseases after 50. 

• Vitamin B12: This vitamin keeps nerves and cells healthy and boosts energy levels. As we age, it’s more difficult to absorb this B12 through diet alone, making it a solid candidate for a standalone B12 supplement or an ingredient in a multivitamin. 

• Other B vitamins: Alongside B12, other B vitamins help the body make and use energy from food. Since energy levels can dip past age 50, it’s important to get enough B vitamins from your diet and/or supplements. 

• Vitamin C: As an antioxidant, vitamin C may delay the progression of certain diseases. It also helps with wound healing and certain metabolic functions. 

• Vitamin D: Vitamin D helps maintain bone health, which is especially important for women as they get older. After menopause, bones are at risk of becoming more brittle due to the decrease in estrogen, a hormone that supports bone development. 

• Vitamin K: Vitamin K plays a role in maintaining bone health. It may also prevent blood clotting and lower the risk of heart disease, which naturally increases during and after menopause. 

• Vitamin E: Vitamin E, an antioxidant, supports immune health, though its role in disease prevention remains under investigation.
  
  

Fats

• Omega-3s: Omega-3s, a type of healthy fat, provide energy, support cognitive health, and maintain good heart health—all of which matters at any age, but becomes more crucial when we’re over 50.
  
  

Minerals

• Calcium: A crucial mineral for bone health is calcium, which can be found in animal products like milk, yogurt, and cheese, and some vegetables, including kale and broccoli. If you don’t get enough from diet alone, a supplement with calcium may help. 

• Magnesium: Magnesium helps regulate blood pressure and heart rhythm. It may also support the healthy sleep patterns, which are often disrupted with age.
  
  

Nutrients for perimenopause

If you’re still experiencing perimenopause, nutrients that address specific symptoms may also be helpful:

• Licorice root extract: This plant-based extract may help balance progesterone, estrogen, and calcium levels during perimenopause.

• Gamma oryzanol: This nutrient may help reduce certain perimenopausal symptoms, including hot flashes, fatigue, and difficulty sleeping. 

• Trans-resveratrol: Trans-resveratrol may help reduce oxidative stress and support bone health, though most evidence is preliminary. 
  
  

Nutrients for metabolism

Last but not least, the 50s are a defining decade when it comes to weight management. More specifically, the menopausal transition is when maintaining a healthy weight and muscle mass becomes harder. As such, many find it beneficial to take a supplement with ingredients that speed up metabolism, such as green coffee bean or green tea extract, lemon verbena, or hibiscus. 

Buying guide: Multivitamins for women age 50+ 

Let’s say your doctor recommends a medication to help with blood sugar. They’d write you a prescription, you’d take it to a pharmacy, and the pharmacist would fill it with the exact medication, containing FDA-regulated ingredients and standardized quantities.

If your doctor recommends a multivitamin, you’d instead turn to the vitamin aisle of the pharmacy, only to find rows and rows of multivitamins for women. Adding to the challenge, there’s no standardized formula for multivitamins, so ingredient lists and dosages can vary widely. Luckily, there are a few telltale signs that a multivitamin may be a good fit:

• It’s transparently labeled. The package label includes transparent information on ingredients and doses instead of advertising a vague “proprietary blend.”

• It’s third-party tested or certified. Since the FDA doesn’t test multivitamins, look for products that are third-party tested by organizations such as United States Pharmacopeia (USP) or National Sanitation Foundation (NSF). Third-party testing confirms the product contains the listed ingredients in accurate amounts and is free from harmful contaminants. 

• It’s a fit for your diet. Your selected multivitamin should suit your dietary needs which, for example, may mean it’s vegan or gelatin-free, soy-free, gluten-free, or all of the above. 
  
  

Top picks: Multivitamins for women over 50

By now, we’ve established that a multivitamin supplement should be formulated for your age and to fill any nutrient gaps specific to your diet and lifestyle. But if you’re like me, that guidance is hard to act on without some tangible examples, which is why we’re about to dive into the features of the best women's multivitamins recommended by doctors, plus some supplement picks from Veracity. 

Everyday 50+ multivitamin (no iron)

For most people over 50, a solid everyday multivitamin should provide essential nutrients such as vitamins A, B, D, K2, C, E, as well as calcium and magnesium. In the majority of cases, it should also be iron-free after menopause, unless bloodwork suggests an iron deficiency.

Veracity pick: Metabolic Multivitamin

For perimenopause 

If you’re currently in perimenopause, your nutrient needs may differ from your postmenopausal friends. Key vitamins during this transition include omega-3s, licorice root extract, gamma oryzanol, and trans-reservatrol, as well as all the other essential nutrients like B vitamins, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin K2, vitamin C, vitamin E, magnesium, and calcium.

If that list seems long for one supplement, it’s because it is. Combining two or more supplements is often an easy way to cover all of your bases. 

Veracity picks: Perimenopause Protocol or Metabolism + Perimenopause Support Set 

For weight management

Metabolism slows with age, but that doesn’t mean it stops completely. Nutrients like magnesium, green coffee bean extract or green tea extract, lemon verbena, and hibiscus extracts can help support a healthy metabolism after 50.

While it’s possible to get some of these through your diet (hello, matcha), a targeted supplement with all or most of these ingredients, such as Metabolism Ignite, can be a good option to support metabolic function as you age.

Veracity pick: Metabolism Ignite

For heart and brain health

Most multivitamins offer some cognitive benefits for older adults, though they don’t always help lower the risk of death due to heart disease. If you’re looking for a supplement that does both, consider one with vitamin E and multiple types of omega-3s. 

Veracity pick: Omega-3 Super+

Budget-smart

A multivitamin is a worthwhile investment, but the price point should work for your budget. No matter a supplement’s cost, it should meet the must-haves we’ve already discussed: be third-party tested, offer transparent information on ingredients, and work with your dietary needs. It should also include one or more of those necessary nutrients we’ve waxed poetic about in this article—to recap: Vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K2 as well as calcium and magnesium.

Multivitamins for women over 50 to skip (or use with caution)

There are a few categories of multivitamins you’ll want to skip or use with caution after age 50. 

Skip multivitamins with any red flags that contradict the advice above, aka they use a nonspecific “proprietary blend,” aren’t third-party tested, and/or don’t work with your diet. 

And because no one, no matter their age, needs to up their sugar intake, it’s also best to avoid gummies with a high sugar content. A good rule of thumb is that if a vitamin tastes like candy, it probably isn’t the best choice to support your health. 

Last, skip products with excessive amounts of certain nutrients. Nutrient needs change with age, and there are some multivitamin ingredients most people 50+ need only in moderation, like iron. Once you’ve undergone menopause, you no longer lose iron via your monthly menstrual cycle. The exception to this, of course, is if lab samples taken after menopause suggest an iron deficiency.  

The “best in moderation” rule also applies to other vitamins, such as vitamins A, E, and B6.  Products that advertise themselves as “hair, skin, and nails” multivitamins, for example, often contain mega-doses of vitamin A, E, and B6 which the body may not be able to absorb and use effectively.

How to take a multivitamin 

All multivitamin supplements work a little differently, which is why it’s important to read the instructions—and to actually read the instructions. (Don’t just skim them as if they’re an update to your phone’s terms and agreements.) One multivitamin, for example, may need to be taken on an empty stomach while others are best after a meal. Some are best taken before bed or in the morning, with water, or a certain number of hours after taking other medications. 

It can also be hard to remember to take a multivitamin daily. Trust me, I’m not only a member of the forgot-to-take-my-multivitamin club, I’m the president. What finally got me to a one-hundred day streak (and counting) was simple. I put my multivitamin next to my coffee machine so I remember to take it before brewing my morning cup of joe, and added a “took vitamins” task to my daily habit tracker. 

Similarly, Dr. Knopman suggests placing it next to your toothbrush to take before brushing your teeth every night.

Personalize your multivitamin 

“Taking a multivitamin doesn't mean we ‘failed’ at getting what we need from our diets. You can be super healthy and ‘eat the rainbow’ and still need supplementation,” says Dr. Knopman. Plus, multivitamins are actually more effective when they are tailored to your diet and lifestyle. 

When personalizing your multi, keep the following factors in mind, and always consult a healthcare provider. They can give you specific recommendations that fit your health needs and any other concerns or medications you take. 

• Sun exposure levels: Vitamin D supports bone health, how the immune system functions, and offers many other benefits. While some foods contain this vitamin, it mainly comes from sunlight. If you live in a cloudier area or don’t get outside as often as you’d like, a multivitamin with vitamin D or a separate supplement may help. Sometimes, a doctor may prescribe this vitamin during winter for those in colder, darker regions. .

• Dietary preferences and restrictions: When I went vegetarian, the first thing my doctor recommended to me was a vitamin B12 supplement. This vitamin helps to keep nerves and blood cells healthy, but it’s mostly found in fish, seafood, and animal products. As a result, vegetarians and vegans often need a standalone B12 supplement or a multivitamin that provides it.

• Energy levels: If you’re low on energy, some vitamins can help (alongside reviewing your sleep habits). These include vitamin B1, carnitine, and herbs such as Rhodiola rosea and Panax ginseng.

• Digestion sensitivities: Some multivitamins may cause gastrointestinal distress, especially for people with a sensitive stomach. If this applies to you, consider lower-dose capsules or multivitamins that can be taken as a split-dose, meaning you take half in the morning, the other half later in the day.
   

Safety and interactions with multivitamins

Like any supplement, multivitamins are generally safe and best in moderation. Getting too much or too little of essential vitamins and nutrients can negatively impact your health. To avoid either, consider tracking your total intake of the vitamins listed above, both across supplements and diet. If you skip a vitamin one day, don’t double up the next. Instead of playing catch-up, continue with the recommended daily dose.

Smokers should avoid high doses of beta-carotene or vitamin A, which have been linked to an increased risk of lung cancer in this population.

Certain supplements can interfere with prescription medications, potentially reducing their effectiveness or causing harmful interactions. While it’s best to talk to a doctor about if there are any potential interactions between a multivitamin and medications you take, common medications that don’t play nicely with some or most supplements include:

• Drugs for HIV/Aids

• Heart disease medications

• Some antidepressants

• Organ transplant treatments
  
  

When to seek medical care and advice on multivitamins 

“I am a fan of all women taking a vitamin as they get older, but I would discuss what and how much you’re taking with your doctor. You want to let your doctor know so that you’re getting the right amount (not too little or too much) of all vitamins,” says Dr. Knopman, adding that it’s important to make sure what you’re taking won’t interfere with any prescription medications. 

Many people find it useful to bring up multivitamins in an annual wellness check-up, asking questions such as:

• Do I need a multivitamin?

• What particular vitamins and nutrients should I look for, given my age and overall health?

• Are there any I should avoid, given the medications I take or the medical conditions I have?

• What other dietary changes can help me get enough of essential vitamins? 

• Do you have any other advice as I search for the right multivitamin?

Whenever you start a  new medication or receive a medical diagnosis, you may need to reevaluate: some multivitamin supplements negatively interact with medications or certain health conditions. Right before surgery is another good time to reexamine your multivitamin, since some can negatively interact with drugs provided before, during, or after the operation. 

Key takeaways

• A multivitamin can support people of any age, though women over 50 may experience considerable health benefits. These include improved bone health, a boost in energy levels, enhanced metabolic health, and a reduced risk for heart disease.

• The best multivitamins for women over 50 are those that include crucial nutrients, such as B vitamins, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin K2, vitamin C, vitamin E, calcium, and magnesium.

• The best multivitamin for you depends on your diet, lifestyle, medications you take, your age, and other individual factors, so it’s helpful to ask your provider for recommendations. 
  
  

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Which multivitamin is best for women above 50?

After 50, our bodies require more of certain nutrients to age healthfully. The key nutrients to look for in a multivitamin at this age are B vitamins, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K2, and vitamin C.

Should women in their 50s take a multivitamin?

Women in their 50s often benefit from taking a multivitamin. As we age, our bodies are less able to absorb crucial nutrients, like vitamin B12, from diet alone and hormonal changes mean we require higher  levels of certain nutrients, such as vitamin D and calcium. A multivitamin ensures we’re getting enough of these crucial vitamins.

What supplements should not be taken after 50?

Most women will want to avoid iron supplements after age 50. These supplements replenish iron, an essential mineral that gets depleted monthly during menstruation. Yet after menopause, which is when your period ends for good, you no longer experience that monthly loss of iron and typically don’t need an iron supplement, unless your bloodwork suggests otherwise.

What are the most important vitamins to take over 50?

The best vitamins for women 50 to take are those that are lacking  in your diet and lifestyle. For many individuals over 50, that includes B vitamins, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin K2, vitamin C, and vitamin E.