Considering a Men’s Multivitamin? A Simple Guide to Choosing

Do men’s multivitamins actually work?

Your body requires essential vitamins and minerals to function at an optimal level. However, most of us don’t get the amount of vitamins and minerals we need from our diets alone. That’s when vitamin and mineral supplements can become part of the solution. If you have nutrient gaps in your diet, a multivitamin may be able to help you.

Do you need to take a multivitamin?

Multivitamins are not meant to replace nutrient-rich foods. Instead, multivitamins exist to help you fill nutrient gaps in your diet. Unfortunately, nutrient gaps are rather common. Most people simply aren’t getting enough fruits and vegetables in their diets and are falling short of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamins and minerals.

If you’re noticing that you’re more tired than you ought to be, or feel like your body isn’t functioning at the level it should, you may be experiencing a nutrient deficiency. If that’s the case, a healthy vitamin and supplement routine could be of use to you. Since a multivitamin contains many of the vitamins and minerals a man can need, taking a daily multivitamin can be a step in the right direction.

Take the Care/of multivitamin, for example. It’s designed with the most up-to-date research to ensure maximum effectiveness. It’s also designed to include high quality ingredients at appropriate amounts, helping to prevent you from taking beyond the RDA. Of course, before taking any new supplement, it’s best to talk to your doctor.

What essential vitamins and minerals do men need?

Zinc

Zinc is an essential mineral that’s perhaps best known for its benefits for the immune system. It has a particular importance for men. Studies have shown that adequate zinc levels are associated with prostate health, healthier sperm, and improved fertility in men. However, studies also show that toxic levels of zinc can be harmful to sperm health. The RDA of zinc for men is 11 mg. Be sure to check the label of your multivitamin to make sure you’re getting an appropriate dose. To be safe, it’s best to talk to your doctor first.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is a term that encompasses a group of fat-soluble retinoids. Vitamin A performs many important functions in the body – supporting cell growth and differentiation, boosting the immune system, and playing a key role in forming and maintaining the heart, lungs, and eyes, among other organs. It plays a special role in men’s health, in that a higher intake of beta carotene – which the body converts to vitamin A – has been shown to support healthy semen quality. Moreover, an animal study involving rats showed that vitamin A supplementation helps protect from the effects of toxic exposure, thereby safeguarding the health of the testicles. The RDA of vitamin A for men is 900 mcg RAE.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C (a.k.a. ascorbic acid) is a water-soluble vitamin and a powerful antioxidant that’s involved in many aspects of your health. It helps heal wounds and it’s needed to make collagen, which is a protein in our body’s connective tissue. It can also help support your immune system. As an antioxidant, it can even boost nitric oxide production, thereby helping with blood circulation and flow. Vitamin C supplementation can be helpful to you especially if you’re not getting enough fruits and vegetables in your diet. The RDA for men is 90 mg. Care/of’s vitamin C supplement comes from an acerola cherry extract, which includes phytonutrients and flavonoids that can promote better absorption.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D, sometimes known as “the sunshine vitamin,” is a fat-soluble vitamin that supports our health in myriad ways – including by aiding the body’s absorption of calcium, thereby promoting bone health, and by supporting the immune system. Despite its importance, most people are deficient in vitamin D. A vitamin D supplement – including a multivitamin containing vitamin D – can help address such deficiencies. This is particularly useful for men, since low vitamin D levels have been associated with issues with male sexual function. Moreover, vitamin D supplementation can support testosterone levels for those experiencing a vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin K

Vitamin K – a fat-soluble vitamin – exists in two forms: K1, which is mainly found in green leafy vegetables, and K2, which is found in many animal foods and in fermented form. Vitamin K helps your body make proteins necessary for healthy blood clotting and the building of healthy bones. You can find vitamin K all throughout the body, including in your heart, brain, pancreas, bone, and liver. It can be especially useful for supporting healthy hormonal activity for men, lowering estrogen levels while enhancing DHEA and testosterone levels. The adequate intake of vitamin K for men is considered to be 120 µg/day for men. (Adequate intake is a term used when there isn’t enough evidence to establish an RDA.)

Calcium

Calcium is a nutrient that’s crucial for many physiological functions. A major component of your bone matrix and teeth, it’s also essential for your body’s blood circulation, muscle health, and hormonal health. Calcium also helps keep your bones strong. The RDA of calcium for men is 56 mg.

Magnesium

Magnesium is a major mineral in the body. Found in more than 300 enzyme systems, it’s essential for blood pressure regulation, blood glucose control, muscle nerve and function, and more. Studies show that magnesium can have particular benefits for men, contributing to healthy testosterone levels and managing oxidative stress related to aging. The RDA for adult men is between 400-420 mg.

Potassium

Potassium is a mineral and electrolyte that helps manage electrical impulses in the body. Electrolytes assist in managing blood pressure, nerve impulses, muscle contractions, digestion, heart rhythm, and more. The RDA of potassium for men is 3400 mg.

How do I choose the right multivitamin for men?

With so many different multivitamins available for purchase, it can be difficult to figure out which option is right for you. For starters, you can discuss this matter with your doctor. Then, when you’re looking at your multivitamin label, you should be on the lookout for these factors: the quality of the ingredients, whether the multivitamin has been third-party tested, the formulation of the multivitamin, and whether the dose is in line with the appropriate daily value percentages.

Assessing quality of ingredients

When you’re picking a multivitamin, look for one that contains active, easily absorbable forms. You’ll also want a multivitamin made from non-GMO ingredients and that avoids unnecessary fillers. Also watch out for your own personal dietary preferences. Is the multivitamin gluten-free or vegetarian-friendly? That’s important. The Care/of multivitamin, for example, is created with the latest research to guarantee quality absorption.

Third party testing

Check to be sure the supplement you’re purchasing has been third-party tested, which will ensure, in effect, that the multivitamin is what it claims to be. The existence of third-party testing will usually be listed on the bottle.

Formulation

The formulation of your multivitamin is deeply important.

A quality supplement will adhere to the FDA’s Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulations and will prominently advertise this fact on the label. Also be sure to review the dose on the label. You should take caution not to over-supplement; the goal is simply to address the nutrient gaps that you need to fill.

Appropriate daily value percentages

When taking vitamins, it’s important to stick to the appropriate daily values. You may want to avoid a multivitamin that has well over 100% of the daily value for the nutrients you need. Look for one with lower percentages – the information should be available on the label.

Is it better to take a multi or vitamins separately?

This is an important question, and the answer is: It depends. Taking individual vitamins separately is unlikely to lead to your getting more of a given vitamin than your body requires. However, a multivitamin can sometimes be advantageous, provided that the percentages of each vitamin present are what your body actually needs.

Key takeaways

Multivitamins can benefit men’s health in myriad ways, particularly if the given multivitamin includes some of the nutrients listed above. To be sure to benefit from a multivitamin, you should check out the ingredient quality, formulation, the value percentages, and whether it’s been third-party tested. Care/of’s multivitamin is an exceptional option, designed for maximum absorption.