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As adults enter their fifties and beyond, natural changes in absorption, appetite, and medication use often trigger nutritional gaps. According to dietitians and medical researchers, aging bodies frequently fall short of essential micronutrients like vitamin B12, vitamin B6, and magnesium, requiring intentional dietary adjustments to protect long-term health.
Absorption Challenges After 50: Why Nutritional Needs Shift
Striving to eat well and exercising regularly remain staples of healthy living, but physiological changes can quietly undermine those efforts. Aging naturally dampens the body’s ability to extract and process vital vitamins and minerals from food.
In general, as we get older our ability to absorb many nutrients — vitamins and minerals and other bioactive components of foods — tends to wane,
explains Howard D. Sesso, director of nutrition research and an associate epidemiologist at the division of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
That waning efficiency often pairs with a natural decrease in appetite. Together, these shifts can establish nutritional deficiencies that accelerate age-related health changes, including chronic disease risk, bone loss, muscle degradation, and a slowed metabolism, as noted by Brooke Levine, a dietitian nutritionist at NYU Langone Health. Furthermore, Liz Weiss, RDN, of Liz’s Healthy Table notes that older adults take more medications, which can increase the risk of nutritional deficiencies. Certain drugs can interfere with nutrient absorption while others can suppress appetite so you get fewer nutrients in your diet overall,
notes Weiss.
Vitamin B12 and Brain Health in Older Adults
Among the most vulnerable micronutrients is vitamin B12, which helps keep the nervous system running smoothly and is involved in red blood cell formation, as well as DNA synthesis. Vitamin B12 is one of the essential vitamins, and our ability to absorb it weakens quite a bit as we enter our 60s and 70s,
says Sesso.
The consequences of a deficiency can cause everything from lethargy to neurological issues. In February 2025, a study of more than 200 adults, with an average age of 71, found that older, healthy volunteers with lower concentrations of B12 showed signs of damage to the brain’s white matter, nerve fibers that enable communication between areas of the brain. The researchers published their work in Annals of Neurology.
To combat this decline, health experts recommend prioritizing animal products, like liver, mackerel, sardines, eggs and red meat, or fortified nondairy milk and nutritional yeast for those who are vegan. Aim to get 2.4 mcg per day, and talk to your doctor about having your blood levels of B12 checked if you are not eating these foods on a regular basis, and ask whether you should take a supplement.
Managing Vitamin B6 and Magnesium Deficiencies
Vitamin B6 and magnesium face similar absorption hurdles after midlife. Vitamin B6, or pyridoxine, is important for the central nervous system as well as immune health. Adults over the age of 50 do not absorb vitamin B6 as efficiently as younger adults, and often have a diet that is low in foods that contain this vitamin,
says Amber Core, a registered dietitian at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Women over the age of 50 should aim for 1.5 mg of B6 per day, and men of the same age need 1.7 mg per day. Rich sources include fatty fish (like tuna and salmon), beef liver, and other organ meats, along with chickpeas, dark leafy greens, bananas, and citrus fruits. On average, bananas have 0.4 mg of vitamin B6, and fatty fish such as salmon or tuna have approximately 0.6 mg of B6 per 3-ounce serving, Core says.
Magnesium deficiency is even more pronounced. In fact, 70 to 80 percent of adults over 70 don’t get the required daily amount. Not having enough of this essential mineral has been linked to everything from sleep disorders to impaired cognition, cardiovascular disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, asthma and depression.
Practical Ways to Close the Gap at Mealtime
Overcoming these nutritional deficits does not require an overhaul of every meal. Dietitians suggest starting small, particularly at breakfast. Marisa Moore says one easy way to get many essential nutrients is by whipping up a spinach omelet for breakfast, noting, I find that many people lack protein at breakfast, so that’s a great place to start.
Having some raspberries on the side provides fiber, while the meal serves as a good source of protein, calcium and vitamins B12 and D.
Katherine Brooking, RD, co-founder of the health communications company Appetite for Health, emphasizes that years of research have demonstrated that getting enough of all the right nutrients has a huge effect on physical condition, cognitive condition, bone health, eye health, digestive function, vascular function, and the immune system. Anyone adjusting their dietary intake or considering supplementation to offset age-related absorption losses should consult their healthcare provider to tailor a plan safely.
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