What is the best multivitamin for men on the market right now? How can one multivitamin supplement be better than another? What are the side effect risks? Are multivitamins necessary for good health and performance? Read this article and find out!
Multivitamins are probably the first supplement that people ever take. In the minds of many people, multivitamins are the “basic” supplement; something you take once in a while without having to think too much about it.
This goes hand-in-hand with another common assumption about multivitamin supplements – that all multivitamins are essentially the same. Plenty of people assume that all multivitamins are basically equivalent when it comes to promoting health and performance.
But this assumption is completely wrong.
Not all multivitamins are created equal.
There is – in fact – as big of a difference between the best and the worst multivitamins as there is between the best and worst of any supplement. We would even go as far as to say that the difference between the worst and best multivitamins is bigger than in most other supplement categories.
The multivitamins you see on the supermarket shelf are typically cheap bundles of vitamins and minerals that your body can’t even absorb. The serving sizes are small, and the ingredients are put together in less than ideal ratios.
Some multivitamins – typically those sold online – will offer higher quality ingredients and more effective ratios of minerals and vitamins.
But only a very small number of multivitamins will offer excellent value for money, an ingredient profile tailored to your specific needs, and extremely high ingredient quality. The best multivitamins will usually be formulated with a specific demographic or use-case in mind. These health supplements will typically be available exclusively from the manufacturers, and they’ll have a higher price tag than your run-of-the-mill multivits.
In this article, we’re going to look at what makes a multivitamin good for a man, what to look out for when choosing a multivitamin, before giving you our choice for the best multivitamin for men on sale today.
What makes a great multivitamin?
What kind of things should you be looking out for when choosing a multivitamin?
This question is a lot more complicated than it might seem at first. It isn’t always the case, for instance, that more of a particular ingredient is better. There are also going to be many factors that you might never think of when choosing a multivitamin; bio-availability, ratio matching, how necessary a vitamin or mineral is for a man, or how much you need to consume to reach your particular goals.
You also need to consider any other supplements you might be taking at the same time. We know that many of our readers are bio-hacking enthusiasts, and a significant number are athletes. It is highly likely, then, that you are already consuming some vitamins and minerals via other supplements. This can cause problems if you haven’t properly allowed for the extra intake before adding in a men’s multivitamin.
So how do you choose a good men’s multivitamin?
There are some criteria which you should always use when choosing a multivitamin, whether it’s for a man or otherwise.
We think these are the main things a multivitamin supplement needs to give us:
- A transparent formula (no proprietary blends)
- Highly bio-available ingredients
- Effective, sensible doses of all ingredients (in line with available clinical trials)
- Ideal forms of all ingredients (e.g. Vitamin D3, not D2)
- Nature-identical ingredients (rather than synthetic isolates)
- A well-balanced formula, covering all the most important aspects of health and performance
- No filler ingredients
- No unnecessary or dangerous ingredients
- No unnaturally large doses
- No allergens, animal products, or GMOs
- Good value for money
If you use these criteria when choosing a multivitamin, you can’t go far wrong. So long as a supplement ticks all of these boxes, then you know you’ve found a high-quality health supplement.
But so far we haven’t spoken about what sort of things you should be expecting to get out of a man’s multivitamin. What can a high quality multivitamin do for you?
Here are some things that a good man’s multivitamin should do:
- Cover nutrients needed for hormone regulation
- Provide cardiovascular system support
- Enhance protein metabolism
- Promote recovery and muscle tissue repair
- Promote fat metabolism
- Support bone structures, skin, and connective tissues
- Boost the immune system
- Promote cognitive function and energy levels
This might strike some of you as a bit of an ambitious list, but a great multivitamin supplement can indeed do all of these things and more. This is the beauty of high quality multivitamins; unlike more specific health supplements, they can improve health and performance generally, across the board.
A rising tide raises all boats, and the best multivitamins are a very powerful tide.
Let’s examine how the best men’s multivitamins go about doing all of these things by taking a closer look at the most important ingredients.
Essential nutrients for men
What are the most important ingredients for a man’s multivitamin to have? If we were designing a multivitamin for men, what would we include? How would we stack the vitamins and minerals?
We’ll now take you through the most important vitamins and minerals for a man’s health, physical performance, and cognitive function. In each case, we’ll explain what it does in the body, why it is so important, and what the science says about dosages. If you have any questions, please post them in the comments section at the end.
The most important vitamins and minerals for men
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin D3
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin K2
- Vitamin B1
- Vitamin B3
- Vitamin B9
- Zinc
- Selenium
- Copper
- Inositol
- Vanadium
- Boron
Why these micro-nutrients? Because these are the nutrients that men are either most likely to be deficient in, or most dependent on for good health and performance. In a lot of cases, the very vitamins and minerals most important for male health and performance are the same ones that men are most likely to be deficient in!
Vitamins for men’s health
These are the most important vitamins for men to take on a regular basis. Once we’ve covered the best vitamins for men, we’ll move on to cover the minerals. This is not an exclusive list; just because a vitamin is not listed here doesn’t mean it isn’t vital for health and performance. This is just a list of the best vitamins for men to take, and those that are most often overlooked.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is extremely important for a wide array of different bodily functions. It helps maintain good vision, keeps the skin clear, promotes tissue repair, and helps the immune system to function.
Vitamin A’s various forms (including retinol and beta-Carotene) are widely distributed in nature; you’ll find lots of Vitamin A in everything from carrots and bell peppers to beef and milk. The densest source of vitamin A is liver, as this is where animals store retinol. Despite being so widely available, many people still manage to consume sub-optimal amounts of vitamin A (as they eat few brightly colored vegetables and very few organ meats).
Ideal dose: You ideally want to consume a mixture of retinol and beta-carotene on a regular basis. Vitamin A toxicity is a concern, so about 50% of your RDI should keep you at healthy levels for the long-term.
Vitamin D3
Vitamin D3 is one of the most commonly consumed supplements in the world. Its use is particularly prevalent among men due to its relationship with testosterone. In practice, Vitamin D is a lot more like a hormone than a vitamin, both in how it functions and what it does in the body.
How much Vitamin D3 you have in your blood is strongly correlated with your free testosterone levels. While the exact mechanism behind the relationship is unclear, what is clear is that the relationship is bi-directional, with D3 and testosterone affecting one another.
If you think you have low testosterone, then a lack of Vitamin D3 is statistically the most likely cause. With more of us spending more of our time indoors, many men are not getting the sun exposure needed to get their full RDI of Vitamin D (D3 is produced by the body when sunlight hits the skin). Studies have shown that Vitamin D3 supplementation is highly effective at treating a D3 deficiency. Clinical trials have also shown that D3 supplementation can significantly increase free serum testosterone levels within a couple of days, which means greater strength, improved mood, and faster recovery times.
Vitamin D also affects mood. The enzyme responsible for making serotonin (your “empathy” neurotransmitter) is transcriptionally activated by Vitamin D. This is a part of the reason why people feel depressed during winter when sunlight exposure drops precipitously.
Ideal dose: With Vitamin D3, you don’t need to be taking ridiculously large doses to see a positive effect on testosterone levels or serotonin levels. About 200% of your RDI is more than enough for you to see benefits. But because it is such an all-round health and performance booster, if you can get even more through supplements, food or sunlight, that’s great.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is a super interesting molecule. Vitamin E is a group of fat soluble compounds, comprising tocopherols and tocotrienols.
The main function of vitamin E in the body is maintaining healthy skin. It helps prevent UV damage from the sun, keeping your skin young, healthy, and reducing the risk of developing skin cancer.
On top of that, Vitamin E has been implicated in some studies in the regulation of the cardiovascular system. A number of clinical trials have found that Vitamin E might have a protective effect on the cardiovascular system – people who consume vitamin E-rich foods tend to have a lower incidence of heart disease. It is also keeps your eyes healthy and functional, helps keep your immune system working, and might even act as a systemic anti-inflammatory.
Most of Vitamin E’s benefits stem from its antioxidant properties; it stops free radicals inflicting damage on your cells, helping to keep them healthy and functional for longer. Some people have suggested that Vitamin E might have anti-cancerous properties, but to our knowledge this has never been validated in a clinical study.
For men, Vitamin E is a superb health supplement, and a vital ingredient in a multivitamin. It will keep your immune system strong, your skin healthy, and your eyes working properly. While it’s doing all of that, it will protect your heart cells from oxidative damage.
Ideal dose: You don’t need to go crazy with Vitamin E. Even the best men’s multivitamins will provide 100% of your RDI. You wont keep getting extra benefits from Vitamin E if you keep taking more. Over 150% of RDI and you’re just wasting money.
Vitamin K2
Of all the vitamins, this is perhaps the one that men need to think about the most. That’s because K2 is the vitamin that men are most likely to be deficient in, which is very worrying given how important K2 is for a man’s health!
K1 is found in lots of foods. However, K2 is a very different vitamin, and it has far fewer natural sources in the modern, western diet. It is found in tiny amounts in egg yolks and cheese. The only rich natural sources of K2 are goose liver and natto (fermented soy beans). We doubt many of your are eating lots of goose liver and natto on a regular basis!
The reason men should be so worried about this is that K2 intake is closely correlated with cardiovascular health, brain cell health, kidney function, bone density, insulin sensitivity, and according to some early research, cancer incidence.
If you’re interested in enhancing your whole body, boosting health and performance systemically rather than in one area, then upping your K2 intake is a very wise move. Unfortunately, few multivitamins provide a decent serving of K2; they just give you K1, which is less useful and already ubiquitous in the diet. The best men’s multivitamins will deliver a large dose of highly bio-available K2.
Ideal dose: The best multivitamin for men on the market today contains just under 90% of your RDI of K1 and K2. We think this is ideal for improving health and performance systemically.
B Vitamins
For the sake of ease, we’re going to talk about the B Vitamins together. While all B Vitamins are indispensable for human health and flourishing, there are some B Vitamins which we deem more important for men’s multivitamins to provide. These are B1, B3, B7, and B9.
Why are these B Vitamins so important for men’s health?
B1 is usually left completely overlooked by people who make health supplements, including multivitamins. But this is a huge mistake. B1 (also called thiamine) is needed for the maintenance and functioning of the nervous system, including the nerves in the cardiovascular system. Heavy drinkers are typically deficient in B1, so if you drink a lot of beer, it’s best to top up with extra B1.
B3 is involved in lots of processes in the human body. It is perhaps one of the most important B vitamins for promoting overall health and performance. It is associated with reduced risk of heart disease, reduced risk of developing painful arthritis, better mental health, healthier skin, and more efficient metabolism of fat and protein.
Finally, we have B9, or folic acid. Vitamin B9 is immensely underappreciated in the supplement world. The effect that folic acid intake has on cognitive function over the long term is so great and so well established that we think B9 should be classed as a long-term nootropic. B9 is involved in the synthesis of DNA, the growth of new cells and tissues, and the production of red blood cells. While B9 deficiency is relatively rare, it does occur, and the symptoms can be severe. “Folic acid for men” is not a phrase we see very often because folic acid is important for men and women. But every vitamin supplement for men should contain folic acid.
These are some of the best vitamins for men to take on a regular basis if their goal is general health and performance. While all B vitamins are important for food metabolism, these B vitamins are likely to be more important for men who have average western diets (very high in B12 and B6 anyway).
Ideal dose: B vitamin doses can be very generous in multivitamin supplement. The best vitamin supplement for men should include well over 100% of your RDI for pretty much all the B Vitamins.
Minerals for men’s health
Here are the minerals that are most important for a man’s health, physical performance, and cognitive function.
Zinc
Zinc is an obvious one to include in a multivitamin supplement designed specifically for men. This mineral is needed for a diverse array of important bodily functions, from supporting the immune system and helping with wound healing to regulating cell growth and cell division.
However, for men, zinc has an even more important function; the synthesis of testosterone. If you don’t have enough zinc in your body, you cannot synthesize as much testosterone as the body would like to in ideal circumstances. Low zinc levels are closely linked with low testosterone levels.
Given that zinc is found in foods that few men in the developed world eat on a regular basis (shellfish, walnuts, seeds, and beans), supplementation is probably going to be necessary if you want to have healthy testosterone levels – and all the benefits that come with them!
Ideal dose: Taking 100% of your RDI of zinc is all you need to do to promote optimal health and performance.
Selenium
Selenium is one of those minerals that seems to have a generally protective effect in the human body. Increased consumption of selenium is correlated with a staggering array of positive health outcomes.
For example, this clinical trial found that increased selenium intake is correlated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease. While the sample size was small, the effect (24% reduction in coronary heart disease risk) was significant.
Other studies have found that selenium levels in the blood are lower in people who are struggling with diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and multiple sclerosis – all neurological conditions. We think this is likely to be due to selenium’s antioxidant properties; we have long known that a high antioxidant intake is protective against conditions including neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s.
Ideal dose: A diet rich in seafood and nuts will typically provide well over 200% of your minimum RDI of selenium. So the best multivitamin for men should be providing over 200% as well.
Copper
Copper is an incredibly important mineral for men to take if their goal is optimal physical performance.
Alongside iron, copper is needed for the formation of new red blood cells. On top of that, it contributes to the maintenance of strong, healthy bones, blood vessels, and nerve cells. It is also heavily implicated in the functioning of the immune system.
Unfortunately, like with zinc, the natural food sources of copper are lacking in the average male diet in the developed world. Few adult males eat lots of liver, lobster, seeds, and dark chocolate on a daily basis, at least in the US and northern Europe. It’s therefore probably best to supplement with copper if you want to really optimize your health and physical performance.
Ideal dose: There’s no reason to go crazy with copper. The best multivitamin for a man should provide at least 100% of your RDI of copper, ideally closer to 200%, although that dose isn’t strictly necessary.
Inositol/Vanadium/Boron
These three minerals are often left out of men’s multivitamin supplements altogether! That is not because they aren’t important for a man’s health and performance; not at all. The reason they’re often left out is simply because most manufacturers of supplements for men either don’t know much about how these minerals work in the human body, or because they find obtaining them too expensive.
Either way, a hallmark of a high quality man’s vitamin supplement is the inclusion of these three minerals.
Inositol is a highly effective anxiolytic, helping to reduce stress and lift mood. Some studies have found that it can reduce the symptoms of depression in some people, and at least one clinical study found that inositol consumption can reduce the number of panic attacks experienced by people with panic disorders.
Boron is needed for the conversion of total testosterone into free testosterone (i.e. testosterone that can actually be used by the body to bring about anabolic and androgenic effects). Thanks to some recent research, we now know that taking as little as 1mg of Boron on a daily basis can bring about a rise in free testosterone in just 6 weeks.
Finally, there’s vanadium. Vanadium is a trace mineral found in tiny amounts in a number of foods (parsley, dill, shellfish, beer, and wine). In humans, vanadium has been found to reduce blood glucose levels independently of insulin. Some studies have also found that vanadium may be important for modulating cell growth, particularly in bones and muscles.
Ideal dose: These are not essential minerals. They do not have a recommended daily intake. However, from the clinical literature we know that 1-6mg of Boron, 20mg of Inositol, and a few micrograms of vanadium is enough to see benefits.
The Best Multivitamin For Men Today
So we’ve gone through the best vitamins for men, and the best minerals for men.
Now it’s time we took a look at the best multivitamin for men.
What is the single best multivitamin supplement on sale right now for promoting men’s health, physical performance, and cognitive function?
In our opinion, there is a clear, hands-down winner: Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi For Men.
#1 – Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi For Men
Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi For Men is a professional, high-spec multivitamin supplement designed specifically for men.
It combines extremely pure, highly-bioavailable, nature-identical vitamins and minerals to create a stack which covers every single aspect of health and performance, including:
- Immunity support
- Hormone support
- Increased energy
- Enhanced cognitive function
- Improved cardiovascular health
- Healthier skin, teeth, and hair
- Improved vision
- Reduced anxiety and improved mood
Clearly, the manufacturers have followed the latest clinical data when choosing both the ingredients and the servings sizes (a refreshing departure from the supplement industry norm of following hype and a “more is better” mentality).
The vitamins and minerals that are most crucial for physical and mental performance are included, as are those ingredients which cheaper multivitamins will tend to ignore. The ratios of ingredients are perfectly in line with what we would see from the ideal human diet.
But what really marks Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi out from its competitors is its unique manufacturing process – NutriGenesis.
See current deals for this men’s multivitamin: PerformanceLab.com.
NutriGenesis
Performance Lab manages to use vitamins and minerals that are at once highly bio-available (meaning the body can actually use them) and practically identical to the forms found in nature. To achieve this, Performance Lab scientists “grow” the vitamins and minerals on probiotic bacteria cultures.
Basically, live single-cell organisms are “seeded” with micronutrients and placed in a hydroponic growth medium. As these cells grow and divide, they simultaneously produce more of the vitamin, mineral, or amino acid that they were seeded with.
We probably don’t need to tell you how revolutionary this is for the supplement industry.
There is absolutely nothing else even remotely similar to NutriGenesis on the market right now. You will not find a single other multivitamin for men out there employing this kind of technology. When other manufacturers do catch up, you can bet that they wont be charging $29.25 for a month’s supply!
Whether you’re looking for a simple, ‘one a day’ multivitamin to help keep your immune system functioning, your skin and hair healthy, and your energy levels up, or you’re in the market for a high spec, full-spectrum multivitamin which covers every aspect of health and performance, we think Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi For Men is the best option.
Of all the multivitamins for men on sale today, this supplement stands head and shoulders above the competition in terms of value for money, ingredient quality, and how well the formula has been designed for men of all ages and demographics.
Check out the website: PerformanceLab.com
Is taking a multivitamin worth it?
Before you go ahead and buy a multivitamin supplement, it might be a good idea to ask yourself a very important question: is taking a multivitamin worth it?
After all, even the most effective, high-spec multivitamin for men on sale today might be a waste of money for you if you genuinely don’t need to be consuming extra vitamins and minerals in the first place.
It’s therefore worth taking a sober look at your diet, your activity levels, and your current state of health to determine whether or not taking a multivitamin is really worth it for you.
For instance, someone who consumes lots of seafood, nuts, leafy green vegetables, and brightly colored vegetables on a regular basis is probably already consuming their RDI of all the most important vitamins and minerals for a man to stay healthy. If this person has no digestive disorders that inhibit nutrient absorption, is relatively sedentary, and has no need to push their body above and beyond baseline, then a multivitamin – even the best multivitamin money can buy – isn’t going to be worth it!
However, if you have a very active lifestyle, you are constantly putting your body and your mind under stress, or your diet is less than perfect from a micronutrient standpoint, then you stand to benefit enormously from the introduction of a multivitamin.
How worth it a multivitamin is for you obviously depends on cost. But even with high quality vitamin and mineral stacks, the price tag is rarely prohibitive.
Is it worth taking a multivitamin? If you’re a man seeking enhanced immune system function, improved health, and better physical and mental performance, then the answer is a clear yes in our opinion.
Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi For Men – the single best multivitamin for men – is $29 a bottle (when multi-purchase discounts are included). That works out at less than $1 per day for enhanced health and performance.
Check out current prices for this top quality multivitamin: VISIT WEBSITE.
FAQs
Do men need a multivitamin with iron?
Iron seems like a mineral which should be standard in every multivitamin. However, contrary to popular belief, most people consume plenty of iron from food. Iron deficiencies only really occur in people with conditions which prevent iron being absorbed from food. You don’t need to take a multivitamin with iron unless you are anemic for some reason (assuming your diet is rich in sources of iron, which include orange juice, leafy vegetables, all meats, beans, cereals, and fortified milks).
Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi For Men doesn’t contain much iron (about 11% RDI), but their Multi For Women version does, as women tend to need more iron intake than men.
What is the best multivitamin for men over 50?
The best multivitamin for men over 50 should look very much the same as the best multivitamin for men under 50. The same nutrient deficiencies that cause declining performance and health in old age occur in younger men too; keeping on top of these deficiencies is how you prevent declines in health and performance as you approach 50. All men have roughly the same micro-nutrient requirements regardless of their age, excluding very young infants of course.
We think the best multivitamin for men over 50 is Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi For Men.
Are ‘one a day’ multivitamins best?
Is it best to take a ‘one a day multivitamin’, or should you just take one large dose as and when is necessary? This is quite a divisive question, and the answer depends very much on your own particular circumstances and goals.
For maintaining good immune system function, physical performance, and cognitive function, we think taking a high quality multivitamin is the best approach. This ensures that you never actually experience deficiencies and the problems that come with them.
By contrast, taking a very large dose as and when is needed comes with all sorts of problems. For one thing, reacting to rather than preventing a deficiency is not ideal for health or performance. As levels of a vitamin or mineral decline, so will performance, be it in the immune system, the brain, or the muscles. Another issue is bio-availability – can your body really absorb massive doses of vitamins and minerals? We have our doubts.
Are there such a thing as “energy vitamins”?
Do some vitamins give you energy? Yes and no. While some vitamins and minerals expedite the metabolism of food (and thus the release of energy), no vitamins or minerals have a stimulatory effect on the body. So if you’re looking for an energy kick, a proper energy supplement is what you need. But if you want generally higher energy levels, a multivitamin can help by making your metabolism more efficient on a cellular level.