To achieve peak health, consuming key nutrients is vital and, while you can usually obtain all your essential vitamins and minerals from food, there is a wide range of vitamin supplements to help boost your overall health and wellbeing.
Men’s vitamins can support many health benefits, including heart health, immune health, prostate health and mental health.
They’re especially popular with athletes, there’s no shortage of premium vitamins out there, elevating muscle function, muscle restoration and energy levels to secure performance enhancement.
And, if you’re someone who has adopted a plant-based diet, then you won’t be able to obtain vitamin B12, an essential vitamin, as it can only be found in meat-based products.
While a healthy diet and fitness regimen is the best natural way to boost your vitamin levels, it sometimes isn’t enough, which is why you should consider taking extras to top you up. For instance, while Vitamin D is found in foods such as salmon, sardines, milk, cheese and orange juice, taking additional Vitamin D supplements can help absorb calcium, promotes bone health and can prevent colon cancer.
But in a market with so many vitamins on offer, finding trustworthy supplements can be a challenge, which is why we’ve broken down a few crucial elements to look out for…
Most Important Vitamins For Men
If you don’t have a degree in nutrition or you never listened in science class, then you might not even know which vitamins you need on a daily basis. But, with thanks to Healthline, we’re here to disclose which vitamins men need and signs of deficiency.
Vitamin D: You’re likely already aware that you can get vitamin D from sunlight, and it can also be found in various food sources. Vitamin D is important because it helps to regulate your immune system, ensuring it functions as it should. It also aids with the absorption of calcium, which is important for bone health.
Signs you are deficient in vitamin D include tiredness, aches, muscle pain or bone pain and stress fractures in the lower body. It is possible to have too much vitamin D in your body, and if you do, you can experience nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
Vitamin A: Vitamin A can be obtained through both animal-based food products and plant-based food such as fruits and vegetables. Vitamin A helps to support cell growth, boost immune function and support your vision and overall eye health.
You’re unlikely to be deficient in vitamin A, but it can happen. If you are deficient, it can be severe. If you are deficient, you are at risk of dying from measles or diarrhea.
It is possible to have too much vitamin A, and if you do, it can lead to serious consequences.
Vitamin C: Vitamin C is another essential vitamin that your body needs, but can’t produce on its own. It’s a well-known fact that vitamin C can be found in oranges. Vitamin C can help boost antioxidant levels, lower blood pressure, boost immunity and reduce heart disease.
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, and so isn’t stored in your body. Instead, it gets transported directly to body tissue via fluids. If there’s any leftover, it comes out as urine. This means it’s important to ensure you consume it regularly.
Magnesium: Magnesium is vital if you want your body to perform at an optimum level. It’s involved in several metabolic processes and is used to help build proteins. If your magnesium levels are low then it can lead to type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s.
You can get magnesium from the likes of nuts, seeds and green leafy vegetables, but these can often not provide enough of your recommended daily intake. Magnesium supplements are, therefore, practically essential.
Omega-3: Omega-3 fatty acids help to support your health from your head all the way down to your toes. They even support brain health. Areas that Omega-3s can have a notable effect include cardiovascular health and joint health.
You can obtain an abundant amount of Omega-3s from fish. But, if you don’t eat fish, or not enough of it then you can likely become deficient.
It’s important, or at least it’s recommended, that you take Omega-3 supplements. However, pay close attention to which ones you buy, as they don’t all have the same health benefits.
Features Of The Best Vitamins For Men
High-Quality Ingredients
This one is really a no brainer, as you want safe and high performing ingredients infused in supplements to achieve the best health results. While you might not expect a health product to contain any nasties, the fact remains, some lower quality products do.
Ensure your vitamins do not contain harmful chemicals, including parabens and nanoparticles. These ingredients can contribute to many chronic health issues, such as certain types of cancers and problems with the heart and liver. Ingredients must be scientifically supported through extensive testing and research.
Third-Party Testing
Speaking of testing, it’s not enough for the company to test their vitamins and minerals themselves; you want to make sure that supplements have received certification from outside health organisations, making them safe and effective. Men’s vitamins and minerals need to comply with Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulations as well as the standards the Food and Drug Administration have set, to help organisations assure the vitamins are the correct identity, strength, purity and quality. Also, these guidelines ensure companies follow responsible and safe manufacturing, so their vitamin formulas don’t contain harmful ingredients or chemicals.
Transparency
To help build trust with customers, vitamin companies need to be highly transparent about their products to ensure safety while promising each product will deliver what the label says. Transparency is established through open communication between companies and their customers, cultivating a space where information is accessed easily. Companies need to reveal their manufacturing methods and the ingredients so each customer knows exactly what they’re putting into their body.
Lastly, we can’t stress enough before taking any vitamins, consult a health care provider to make sure these products are suitable for your body and meet all your health goals. It is recommended you have a blood test taken to check your current levels and to see if you are deficient in any essential vitamins.
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We take a closer look at the best vitamins for men, including their benefits and even potential risks, and included the various retailers from which you can buy them.
Vitamin D
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Price: From $12
Content: 30 Vegan Softgels
Vitamin D isn’t just a singular vitamin. In fact, it actually refers to a family that includes vitamins D1, D2 and D3. As we mentioned earlier, your body can actually produce vitamin D when it’s exposed to sunlight. It’s one of the best vitamins for men to have good levels of, and even if you live in a sunny climate such as Australia, you will still need to top up your levels via various food sources.
Food sources rich in vitamin D include some fish (salmon, canned tuna, herring), beef liver, egg yolk and some fortified foods (those that have had nutrients added) including milk and yoghurt.
Even with the combination of consuming these foods and exposing yourself to sunlight, you may still not reach the recommended daily allowance of vitamin D. There is some debate surrounding just how much vitamin D men need on a daily basis. The most recent data suggests adults aged 18 – 70 need 15mcg (600 IU), while adults aged over 70 require 20mcg (800 IU).
If you do choose to take vitamin D supplements, it is recommended you take them with healthy fat, since it requires fat to be absorbed. The easiest way to do this would be to take a vitamin D supplement with a piece of avocado.
Even with the RDA of 600 IU, you’ll likely find some vitamin D supplements provide dosages much higher than this. It’s ok to take these, but you don’t necessarily need to take them on a daily basis since your body will store them. It is safe to go up to 4,000 IU per day, although this is by no means a target to reach.
We have included vitamin D supplements that provide an extremely high dose for those with a severe deficiency, as well as those better suited for daily maintenance. Be sure to check the dosage level before you buy.
Vitamin A
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Price: From $15
Content: 250 Softgels
Vitamin A is an essential vitamin for men to maintain proper eye health and vision, as well as aiding the formation of healthy cells.
You can find vitamin A in food sources including liver, eggs and milk. Those on a plant-based diet can obtain vitamin A from sweet potato, carrots and pumpkin, to name a few. These foods actually contain carotenoids, which are then turned into vitamin A after consumption.
Vitamin A supplements can come in various forms but are mainly split between animal-based and vegetarian. The vegetarian variant mainly contains carotenoids, as mentioned above. This means you’ll need to pay close attention to the RAE figure, as this indicates how much vitamin A you’ll get after conversion.
The Recommended Dietary Allowance of vitamin A for men aged 19 and over is 900mcg RAE. We’ve included vitamin A vitamins for men in various doses, and have included some that are vegetarian.
Vitamin C
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Price: From $25
Content: 250 Veg Capsules
Vitamin C is one of the best vitamins for men as it is involved in some of the body’s most critical functions. These include, but are not limited to, supporting skin health and boosting your immune system. It’s the positive effect vitamin C has on the immune system that causes many to take vitamin C supplements to help minimise the chance of contracting the common cold.
Vitamin C can be obtained naturally through a variety of food sources, but mainly fruits and vegetables. These include citrus fruits, red and green peppers, kiwi, broccoli and tomato juice.
It is totally safe to take vitamin C supplements, and potentially even those that provide a very high dosage because the body doesn’t store it. Once it has absorbed enough to function normally, it excretes any excess through urine.
The RDA of vitamin C for men is 90mg, but you shouldn’t stress if you go over this figure. However, while WebMD says a safe upper limit is rated at 2,000mg, it isn’t really necessary to reach this amount. For most people, however, a daily intake of 500mg is deemed optimal. You should only take an extremely high dosage of vitamin C supplement if advised by your medical professional.
Magnesium
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Price: From $10
Content: 100 Veg Capsules
Ok, we’ll admit, magnesium isn’t a vitamin but is actually a mineral, the fourth most commonly found in the body no less. Despite not falling into the top 3, it’s still essential and one of the best for men as it helps to support blood pressure regulation, blood pressure control and can even boost athletic performance. So, if you train on a regular basis, it’s vital.
You can get magnesium from a wide range of food sources, from pumpkin seeds to almonds and peanut butter to salmon. However, because the recommended daily allowance of magnesium is 400-420mg per day for men, it can sometimes be tricky to hit the target.
This is where supplements come in handy. However, it should be known that magnesium supplements can come in various forms, so it’s important you check which one you’re getting and if it will actually have any real-world benefit for you. There are 6 different forms of magnesium: glycinate, citrate, chloride, sulphate, oxide and malate.
We’ve included magnesium supplements that tick off more than one form of magnesium, but as we said, be sure to properly check which one you’re buying and investigate it’s effects.
Omega-3s
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Price: From $59
Content: 180 Softgels
Omega-3s is a slightly shorter way of saying omega-3 fatty acids, and refer to a type of fat found in both the human body and in some foods. It should be pretty well-known that omega-3s are primarily found in seafood, both fish and shellfish.
Omega-3s are classed as an essential fat, so while they may not be a vitamin, for the purposes of this article, they’re one of the best vitamins for men. They’re termed ‘essential’, because your body needs them to maintain perfect health, but your body doesn’t produce them.
There are 3 types of omega-3: EPA, DHA and ALA. Both EPA and DHA are found in fatty fish, seafood and fish oils, whilst ALA is found in foods such as chia seeds, walnuts and flax seeds. When you consume ALA omega-3s, your body will convert them into EPA and DHA, although the actual amount that gets converted is the subject of debate.
The claimed benefits of omega-3s are vast. They can help to reduce the risk of colon, prostate and breast cancers, reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety and can even reduce the risk of contracting Alzheimer’s.
The recommended daily allowance of omega-3s for healthy adults is a minimum of 250-500g, but this can be a combination of EPA and DHA types. You shouldn’t rely on supplements alone to get your omega-3s fix, so try to introduce fatty fish to your diet a couple of times a week.
Because the main types of omega-3s supplements are the likes of fish oil and krill oil, it can be possible for some supplement products to either be unethical or they may contain compounds that are the result of pollution. Vegetarians and vegans can take DHA supplements as an alternative.
Grass-Fed Beef Liver Capsules
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Price: From $50
Content: 160 Capsules
Are you a fan of the ancestral diet? Or wanting to find a vitamin supplement that embraces the ancestral ‘Nose-To-Tail’ approach to eating? Look no further: Cell Squared, a Melbourne-founded and Australian-owned company has embraced all-too-often overlooked organ meats, which not only offer various health advantages but also contribute to sustainability by reducing waste.
Their beef organs come from ACO-certified organic, grass-fed, and finished cattle raised on ancient floodplains in Australia’s pristine heart, the Lake Eyre Basin. To uphold the highest organic certified standards, the entire supply chain, from farm to finished product, is thoroughly audited by the ACO (Australian Certified Organic). This meticulous review includes their facilities, farms, abattoirs, freeze-drying, milling, and packing methods, assuring customers that they are receiving the most premium and highest-quality ACO Certified Beef Organ Powders available in the Australian market.
These capsules are an excellent source of bioavailable B12, which can promote exercise performance, mental clarity, improved mood, and reduced brain fog. Moreover, they contain the most abundant source of preformed Vitamin A (Retinol) found in nature, supporting healthy immune function, vision, and skin health. The presence of vitamins B12, B2, B3, B5, B6, and bioavailable heme iron in the capsules helps reduce fatigue, support energy production, enhance neurological performance, and contribute to healthy blood and cell formation.