Best Men’s Multivitamins of 2023
The right multivitamin can make the difference between a man feeling good and feeling great. But with so many multivitamins for men on the market today how do you know which ones to trust and which to pass on?
The first thing to do is to turn a deaf ear to the marketing and turn instead to the ingredient list on the label. But if you don’t have time to inch your way down the supermarket aisle scouring vitamin labels don’t worry. We’ve done the work for you and below are the 10 best multivitamins for men in 2023.
1. One-a-Day Men’s Health Formula
One-a-Day isn’t here because it’s a big, recognizable brand. It’s here because their Men’s Health Formula supplies not only the usual vitamin suspects like B6, B12, C and E, but because they go the extra mile to provide other essentials that don’t normally get the attention they should. Including chromium to help stabilize blood glucose levels and zinc to buttress the immune system (1).
One-a-Day Men’s is also rich in vitamin D to help aging bones absorb calcium and retain their tensile strength and magnesium to help ward off stroke and migraines. It’s this attention to detail that sets some supplement manufacturers apart from the rest. And that attention to detail is one reason One-a-Day got so big and recognizable in the first place.
2. NATURELO Whole Food Multivitamin for Men
Naturelo has been gaining a lot of attention of late for their high-quality all natural vitamin and mineral supplements. Their Whole Food Multivitamin for Men is a good example of the many things they get right. It’s packed with vitamins gleaned from a range of whole foods and is 100% vegan and vegetarian safe, as well as being both gluten and GMO free.
Naturelo leave no stone unturned in their quest to provide men with safe, robust vitamin and mineral support for healthy bones, teeth and skin. Their Multi for Men is also antioxidant rich to help you fight the scourge of free radicals and there’s plenty of calcium, zinc and potassium for muscle health.
3. Centrum Men
Centrum is another well-known brand that has been making high-quality, high potency vitamin supplements for decades. Their Men’s multi is formulated to address 4 key areas of concern: immunity, muscle function, energy and metabolism. All of these are important factors that weigh on the ability of a man to stay physically vital as he matures.
To address these important aspects of physiology Centrum leans heavily on the B Vitamins, (known to buttress energy reserves and boost metabolism), vitamin D for strong bones (2) and vitamins A and E to boost muscle function. The resulting tablets are also free of gluten and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Be aware however, that they do contain a small amount of soy.
4. GNC Mega Men One Daily Multivitamin for Men
The GNC Mega Men One Daily Dietary Supplement is designed for men and offers several key benefits:
Provides 19 essential vitamins and minerals, meeting or exceeding 100% of the daily recommended values, promoting overall wellness. Supports muscle performance by including important amino acids like L-taurine, L-methionine, L-glutamine, and L-carnitine. Includes advanced blends to promote eye and prostate health, as well as brain support.
This supplement is tailored for men and aims to enhance their overall health, muscle performance, and specific areas such as eye, prostate, and brain health.
5. Abundant Earth Whole Food Multivitamin for Men
Abundant Earth gleans the vitamins and minerals for their Multivitamin for Men from 38 different fruits, vegetables and herbs. They complement those pure, highly potent nutrients with others your body needs including omega 3 fatty acids, digestive enzymes, probiotics and more. The result is one of the most comprehensive multis for men on the market today.
One that promotes gut health and boosts immune response. AE is also certified vegan, free of GMOs, rich in superfoods and produced in an FDA approved facility in the US. That last point goes a long way toward ensuring you’re getting the high quality, high potency supplement you need.
6. Nature Made Multi For Him
With Nature Made Multi for Him you get healthy doses of Vitamins D, E, C and A as well as manganese which helps the body process protein, carbs and cholesterol. The formulation here is designed to address the unique needs of men, who tend to suffer from higher incidence of heart disease (3) and immune system issues and who are typically more concerned than women in retaining vibrant musculature.
You may notice that Nature Made makes a point of emphasizing that their Multi for Men contains no iron. That’s important because it is believed that men are more susceptible than women to developing hemochromatosis (4). A disease characterized by excess iron buildup in the organs.
7. Rainbow Light Men’s One Multivitamin
Rainbow Light doesn’t break any new ground with their Men’s One Multivitamin. What they do is create a high potency, highly pure vitamin supplement that enables the nutrients to go about their important work uncompromised. There are no artificial ingredients, fillers or harmful man made compounds in Men’s One.
It is also completely free of gluten, wheat, tree nuts, shellfish, eggs, fish and peanuts. In addition, it’s devoid of GMOs and certified vegetarian with all its nutrients derived from whole foods. Men’s One is for health conscious men who need an effective dietary supplement, not a dose of potentially harmful chemicals pretending to be a supplement.
8. Divine Bounty Men’s Multivitamin
Divine Bounty is another highly pure men’s multivitamin that is free of gluten, soy, dairy, GMOs and animal-based products of any kind. It’s certified both vegan and vegetarian and is loaded with nutrients essential to bolstering the immune system, heart and brain function. Divine Bounty Men’s multi is also rich in vitamin K, a little discussed but essential vitamin that helps improve insulin sensitivity, which in turn helps keep blood glucose levels in balance.
Because men often don’t get the vitamins and minerals they need in their diet it’s important to find an effective supplement to stave off heart problems, immune system deficiencies, gut health issues and more. Divine Bounty Men’s Multivitamin can effectively fill the nutrient void.
9. Xtend-Life Total Balance Men’s Multivitamin
Total Balance is an understatement when discussing this men’s multivitamin from Xtend-Life. There are more than 50 vitamins and minerals in play here, formulated to address everything from cell aging to heart health to prostate function, eye health, memory, strength, bone mass and just about anything else you can imagine.
One of the remarkable things about this particular multi is that they manage to pack so much into each capsule without including soy, shellfish or dairy of any kind. As you can imagine though, attempting to be all things to all men does bring them into conflict with some recent nutritional trends (there’s no claim of being GMO-free for instance) but they have to find this dizzying array of nutrients somewhere. It’s also not vegan or vegetarian certified so be mindful of that as well.
10. Optimum Nutrition Opti-Men
Optimum Nutrition built its reputation on the back of things like protein powders and other bodybuilding supplements. In recent years however, they’ve fanned out and now produce a full array of vitamin and mineral supplements, including their Opti-Men multi. In typical ON fashion they’ve embraced the notion that when it comes to supplements more is better.
So don’t be shocked when you look at the label and see Opti-Men provides nearly 3,000% of the recommended amount of vitamin B6 or 5,700% of the daily recommended amount of riboflavin. That’s just who they are. And as grandpa used to say “Better too much than not enough, son”.
FAQs
How Can Men’s Multivitamins Benefit Your Body?
Mens multivitamins come in many forms including tablets, capsules, gummies, liquids, powders and more and they’re all designed to address the unique nutritional needs of men. Most are designed to be taken once or twice a day with the taker ensuring they stay within the recommended dose. The vitamins and minerals typically found in most men’s multivitamins serve a variety of male-specific nutritional needs, including the need to buttress heart and prostate health and retain healthy bones and muscles. The following are some of the most common benefits supplement manufacturers attempt to address with multivitamins for men.
- Micronutrient benefits – While most men have at least heard of the concept of macronutrients, say the word “micronutrients” to them and watch the brows furrow and the eyebrows raise. “What’s that?” is the response you’re most likely to get. And it’s understandable. The good news however is that the term micronutrients simply stands for individual vitamins and minerals. So there’s no need to worry about having to change your entire diet to enjoy micronutrient benefits. Most men’s multis provide generous doses of the micronutrients most important to men: potassium, calcium, zinc and magnesium. These micronutrients play an integral role in maintaining cardiovascular health, sustaining energy levels, balancing blood glucose levels, burning fat and warding off high blood pressure, anemia and inflammation.
- General physiological benefits – More than a dozen vitamins and even more minerals play a crucial role in reproduction, growth, muscle function and basic physical maintenance. Yet as we move through our 20s and 30s our diets tend to diverge significantly from our nutritional needs. As such all manner of chronic health conditions begin to take hold and if we don’t arrest them in time they could come wind up undermining our quality of life and even shortening our lives. Taking a high quality full-spectrum men’s multivitamin on a regular basis can help fill the nutrient gap and give you a fighting chance to have a long healthy life.
- Heart benefits – It’s important to separate this particular point from the others because the fact is men are twice as likely to die of a heart attack as women. Doctors and researchers believe that at least some of those heart attacks are the direct or indirect result of a lack of vitamin D (5). Omega 3 fatty acids, niacin and magnesium are also vital for maintaining heart health in men and any men’s multi you plan on taking should provide generous doses of those nutrients.
- Additional health benefits – Multivitamins can also play an important role in staving off macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is the most common cause of blindness on earth. Fortunately, it is possible to slow or even prevent the onslaught of MD by taking a multi that’s rich in antioxidants and minerals. Supplemental vitamins may also play a role in reducing the chance of developing cataracts. And there is a growing body of evidence that multivitamins may play a role in improving memory in older people (6) and reduce symptoms of depression. A multivitamin is also crucial for runners who often have deficiencies in their bodies.
What Specific Vitamins are Important for Men’s Nutrition?
Now that we’re aware of some big picture benefits of multivitamins let’s have a closer look at the specific vitamins men should be taking as part of their supplementation efforts.
- Vitamin A – It’s long been known that vitamin A plays an important role in helping to maintain eyesight in both men and women as they age. Night blindness – where a person loses the ability to distinguish forms in a darkened space – is almost always associated with a vitamin A deficiency. It also seems that men who are vitamin A deficient may, repeat may, stand an increased chance of developing some forms of cancer (7). Though more study is needed.
- Vitamin C – Vitamin C is an essential nutrient with proven antioxidant qualities. It is also important in promoting proper muscle, bone and skin development. And it plays a role in gum, tendon and ligament integrity as well. In addition vitamin C is important to the development of healthy cell membranes. Because it is so important to the development of healthy muscles tendons and ligaments vitamin C is particularly important for men who exercise regularly.
- Vitamin K – As we mentioned in one of our vitamin reviews above vitamin K is an often overlooked but important nutrient. One of its primary roles is to initiate the clotting process in the event of an injury. This prevents you from bleeding out if you get cut or otherwise wounded. Crucially, vitamin K also plays a key role in maintaining vascular health, which is such an important issue for men, especially those with a family history of heart disease. Vitamin K aids in heart health by preventing calcium from building up along the walls of the blood vessels.
- Vitamin B1 – Otherwise known as thiamin vitamin B1 helps your body convert carbohydrates into energy. As such men who do not get enough vitamin B1 in their diet tend to complain of feeling sluggish and have a hard time getting going in the morning. Thiamin is also believed to play an important role in preventing the development of cataracts. And early research indicates that it may have some role to play in mitigating the symptoms of Alzheimer’s (8). Although much more study is needed in that case. Because thiamin plays a central role in the metabolic process, and because men typically eat more than women, getting enough thiamin is crucial to a man’s overall health.
- Vitamin B2 – Vitamin B2 is commonly known as riboflavin and it’s another vitamin that plays an important role in energy production. Riboflavin increases the metabolism and is involved in a number of different cellular processes. Men who work out regularly with the aim of building muscle should make sure they get enough vitamin B2 since it is known to promote blood flow. Riboflavin is also suspected of being able to help alleviate the symptoms of migraine headaches and may help lessen tinnitus, or ringing in the ears. If you plan on engaging in vigorous workouts you should be sure the multivitamin you take provides plenty of vitamin B2.
- Vitamin B3 – Vitamin B3 also has a name of its own. In this case it’s Niacin. Niacin plays an important role in lowering blood cholesterol. Which is of course important for men seeking a higher level of cardiovascular health in order to avoid the chance of suffering a heart attack, stroke or other forms of cardiovascular disease. Niacin also plays a role in maintaining healthy skin and – in its Nicotinamide gel form – of treating acne as well (9). While some studies have linked niacin to the prevention of hair loss the data is at best sketchy and more research is needed before any conclusions can be drawn.
- Vitamin B12 – Our tour of the B vitamins concludes with B12. B12 (which curiously never picked up a proper name for itself) is key in the development of healthy nerve tissue. A B12 deficiency, in conjunction with a lack of iron, can also produce anemia; a condition typified by an insufficient number of red blood cells. B12 also has a part in promoting a healthy metabolism, which is important in that it helps men burn off excess calories and reduce their risk of heart attack. Men deficient in vitamin B12 often experience low energy levels.
- Iron – Iron represents a double edged sword for men. On the one hand they need it in order to help stave off anemia. On the other hand men, as we saw above, are predisposed to developing hemochromatosis. Which is an unnatural buildup of iron in the tissues of the vital organs. It is generally advised that men steer clear of multivitamins that contain iron and try to fulfill their iron intake needs through their regular diet. This gives them a better chance of avoiding hemochromatosis.
- Magnesium – Most men simply don’t get enough of this essential mineral in their everyday diet. And that can spell long term trouble because magnesium is used by the body to promote effective nerve function and muscle activation. Since the heart is the largest and most important muscle in the body you can understand why it is important for men to ensure they get enough magnesium every day. Even if it means it has to come by way of multivitamins.
- Chromium – Chromium plays a mostly behind the scenes role in assisting insulin with the regulation of blood glucose levels. Chromium also plays a role in helping the body metabolize the macronutrients (carbs, protein and fat). Preliminary studies also suggest that chromium may have a role to play in the treatment of adult onset (Type II) diabetes (10). Although as we said, the results are still preliminary.
- Zinc – Zinc has an important role in bolstering immune system response and men who don’t get enough zinc often find themselves more susceptible to colds and flu, less resistant to infections and less able to recover quickly following strenuous activity. Zinc also plays an important role in maintaining prostate health; which is so crucial to men as they age. Zinc is also a foundational nutrient in the physiology of sex. It helps promote a robust libido and is important for sustaining erections. On balance men typically need more zinc than women do.
- Manganese – Finally, manganese is needed by the body in order to facilitate the creation of enzymes which regulate cholesterol levels, help to build healthy bones, metabolize carbs, promote cognitive function and heal wounds. Iron tends to cancel out the absorption of manganese. Therefore, since men tend to store more iron than women they typically need to consume slightly larger amounts of manganese to compensate.
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