Benefits of multivitamins for men

Almost all adults in the U.S. would benefit from a multivitamin—including men. A comprehensive multivitamin helps you achieve nutritional sufficiency for micronutrients (which many of us aren't) and they're also an easy way to know you're doing something kind for your body. 

But gendering a multivitamin isn’t essential—as foundational nutrition needs don’t vary significantly by sex. 

FAQs

Should all men take multivitamins? 

While declaring that all men should take a multivitamin is a broad claim, the majority of men would likely benefit from one, as it’s unlikely your diet is fulfilling all of your nutritional needs. 

When is the best time to take a multivitamin? 

You can take a multivitamin anytime of day. For those that contain fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K), it’s recommended to take the multi with a meal. 

Is a multivitamin necessary? 

A multivitamin can be a powerful tool for men to enhance and fine-tune their health. They’re also helpful in improving nutrient inadequacies.

How we picked

• Variety: Multivitamins should have multiple ingredients, and we prioritized brands that offered a comprehensive ingredient panel—not only for vitamins and minerals but also herbal extracts and other antioxidants.
• Dose: All ingredients of a multivitamin should be included at clinically relevant doses—amounts that can have a positive impact on your nutritional status and health outcomes when taken consistently. Taking a dose that’s too low won’t move the needle on your health goals. 
• Testing: All of the brands on this list made it easy to find their testing standards, manufacturing processes, and third party testing certificates. Plus, most are transparent about their ingredient sourcing. 
• Sustainability: We looked for brands that had sustainability practices in place—for ingredient sourcing or through their packaging materials.

What to look for

1. Nutrients that are hard to get through diet alone: It’s hard—no matter how healthy you eat—to get enough of some nutrients from diet alone. These include vitamin D, vitamin B12, folate, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and selenium. Many men’s multis leave out iron altogether—but the reason why isn’t great. Men under 51 years of age have a lower recommended daily intake compared to women (8 milligrams vs 18 milligrams). But depending on a man’s diet (say if you don’t eat meat) and level of physical activity (being physically active also increases your iron needs), supplemental iron can still be beneficial.     
2. A complete B complex: A comprehensive multivitamin should also serve as your B complex. That means it provides all eight B vitamins: thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine (B6), biotin, folic acid, and B12.  
3. A high-potency formula: As a rule of thumb, in a complete multivitamin formula, a full array of vitamins and minerals will be included at or above 100% of the daily value. Some minerals (namely calcium, magnesium, and potassium) are bulky and physically take up a lot of space in a capsule, tablet, or gummy, So they may be included in lower quantities. 
4. A form that you like: Lastly, you should find a supplement in a form that you like. Some people don’t mind swallowing capsules or tablets, some may prefer a gummy, while others want something to drink. The multi is only going to work if the first three criteria are met and you actually take it daily.

The takeaway

Adding a multivitamin to your routine is an easy and (if it’s a high-quality one) effective way to improve your overall well-being. 

With so many multivitamins on the market, it’s hard to narrow down the best. While this list hopefully does the heavy lifting for you, narrows down your choice, just remember to always look for a multi with an array of nutrients (including a B complex), featured in sufficient doses, in a form that you don’t mind taking daily.

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References

1. Nutrients

If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking medications, consult with your doctor before starting a supplement routine. It is always optimal to consult with a health care provider when considering what supplements are right for you.

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