5 Vitamins And Supplements To Stop Taking (And What To Take Instead)

As you get older, health advice like "Drink your milk to grow big and strong" gives way to "Take your calcium pills to avoid osteoporosis." Taking your vitamins is especially important post 50, "as the absorption of nutrients and minerals and vitamins can decline," explained Dr. Mickey Barber, president of Cenegenics Carolinas. "We don't absorb as efficiently as we once did."

While eating can be a great way to get the vitamins and minerals our bodies need for optimum cell function, it's impossible to get all of them from every meal. "Unless you're growing your own food and it's all organic, pesticide and hormone free, you cook all your own meals [and] you never eat out," Barber said, "you're going to need at least a multivitamin."

But some of the vitamins and supplements we take may do more harm than good, Barber warns. Here are five vitamins and supplements Barber believes post 50s should reconsider. (Be sure to consult with your doctor before making any individual changes to your supplement regimen and to check for any possible counter interactions with medicines you're currently taking.)