If you are a busy person or an athlete looking for the multivitamin packs for men to support your nutrition, then you will ENJOY this article (as much as you can enjoy an article about vitamins).
Here you will discover useful information on the packs and pills and how to prevent the most common nutrient deficits.
You will also learn why most multivitamins are useless or can even damage your overall health through overdosing and missing ingredients.
Sound good? Lets go.
TL; DR: What You Need to Know
- It’s achievable but difficult for most people to consume all essential vitamins with their diets.
- Most multivitamins contain cheaper and less absorbable forms of vitamins and minerals
- More is not always better in a multivitamin
- Some multivitamins can be even dangerous and worsen your deficiencies.
- The most common vitamin deficiency is that of vit D3
- The most common mineral deficiencies are of Mg, Zn and I
If you’d rather just see our picks, below is a comparison table. Otherwise, you can keep reading to discover how we picked them + what to look for and avoid in a multivitamin.
Comparison of the 5 Best Multivitamins for Men
Persona Nutrition
Persona Nutrition
This multivitamin pack is custom-tailored to men's unique health needs through the use of a highly-detailed online questionnaire.
Get 40% off using our link
Get 40% off using our link
Try the QuizRitual Essential for Men
Ritual Essential for Men
This multivitamin – developed by Harvard-trained scientists – helps men meet their nutritional needs and focuses on the 10 most common nutrient deficiencies found within men ages 18-49.
Ritual Essential for Men 50+
Ritual Essential for Men 50+
This multivitamin – developed by Harvard-trained scientists – helps men meet their nutritional needs and focuses on the 10 most common nutrient deficiencies found within men ages 50+.
NutriGenesis Multi by Performance Lab
NutriGenesis Multi by Performance Lab
This ultramodern multivitamin was designed for overall health and peak human performance and provides men with 17+ essential nutrients.
Bulk Supplements Multivitamin Softgels
Bulk Supplements Multivitamin Softgels
This multivitamin is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and Omega 3s in an easy to take softgel.
Why Are Vitamins Necessary for Good Health?
Vitamins and minerals are essential micronutrients, which most commonly function as enzyme activators in our bodies.
Essential means that the body can’t synthesize them on its own so we need to consume them in our diet to prevent deficiencies and health problems.
It’s achievable to consume all vitamins with a healthy diet but still, it can be a challenge for many people. Whether you are eating less to lose weight, having high physical activity, or just a busy schedule, you might be at a higher risk of deficiencies.
Studies involving athletes showed severe deficiencies in the amounts of vit. D, calcium, magnesium, and zinc.[1]
Another study, again involving athletes revealed that not even one participant met the daily recommended amounts for most vitamins and minerals, solely by diet.[2]
There are 13 essential vitamins that we need to consume with our diet to stay healthy.[3] We can split them generally into two groups depending on their solubility – fat-soluble and water-soluble.
Because of their affinity to fat, fat-soluble vitamins have depots in the fat tissues, where they get stored.
This is helpful for periods of food restriction and temporary nutrient deprivation, but if too much such vitamin is consumed it will lead to an accumulation in the depots and eventually toxic effects.
It is quite hard to consume too much of a certain vitamin unless you over supplement it. The four essential fat-soluble vitamins are A, D, K and E.
Water-soluble vitamins do not get stored, for the exception of vit. B12. This means that while we require regular consumption, over-supplementation doesn’t lead to toxicity. Water-soluble are vitamin C and eight vitamins from the B-complex.
How Did We Research the Best Multivitamins for Men?
There is an abysmal lack of nutrients in modern diets. It can thus be reasonable to consume a multivitamin to make sure you cover all bases.
The problem with this approach is that most multivitamins are quite terrible.
One of the most common problems is that they use cheap manufacturing methods resulting in nutrients that are not bioavailable. Such an example is magnesium oxide and zinc oxide.
Another problem is that many multivitamins contain only one isoform per vitamin. This is not optimal because it can cause an imbalance of the isoforms in the body.
A common example is vitamin E which has 8 isoforms with different functions in the body. Over-supplementation of one of them can suppress the other isoforms which will lead to deficiencies.[4]
The third major problem is that lots of multivitamins incorporate high doses of nutrients that are cheaper and easy to consume with food. Many athletes get deceived that more is better but that is not always the case with vitamins.[5]
This can be even harmful because over-supplementation with one vitamin or mineral can cause or worsen the deficiency in others.[6] Some research even finds that people taking multivitamins have a shorter life expectancy.[7]
Not every multivitamin is suitable for men either. While calcium is an essential mineral, it is relatively easy to consume enough of it from a diet just by eating sufficient amounts of dairy.
Supplementation on the other hand might be related to more risks than benefits. Calcium supplementation might increase the risk of myocardial infarction.[8] This is why scientists recommend obtaining your calcium from your diet instead.
By taking all these considerations and researching the available multivitamins on the market, we picked our best choices for men. Keep reading to find more information about them.
What to Look for in Multivitamins for Men
Vitamin D3
Vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin – it is formed in our skin during direct exposure to sunlight.
However, this is an extremely deficient vitamin for people living in areas with a winter season, when solar radiation significantly decreases.
In fact, this is the most common vitamin deficiency.
Scientists go as far as calling it a pandemic.[9] Vitamin D has important roles such as improving the absorption of calcium and promoting bone health in adults.
In men, vitamin D deficiency results in a wide range of symptoms, including compromised bone health, weaker immune system, lower muscle strength and even raised risk for various types of cancer.[10]
It also aids the natural synthesis of testosterone. Science has found out that almost every cell in the human body has a receptor for vitamin D.[11]
This fact, combined with the lack of good dietary sources (only fatty-fish and egg yolks contain it) and the high incidence of deficiency amongst people, makes supplementation the best option for optimal health.
The right dose will depend on the vit. D levels in the blood, which should be higher than 30 ng/ml for the most health benefits. A level below 20 ng/ml is a strong indicator of deficiency and supplementation is highly recommended.
Depending on the deficit, the daily recommendations are between 500 and 1000IU, and they should not exceed 2000IU.
Since vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, it is important to take the supplement with foods rich in fats, preferably during the largest meal of the day.
Magnesium
Magnesium is one of the most deficient minerals in our diet. For example, a study performed on the US population found out that 48% have inadequate intake.[12]
This can be detrimental to overall health, as magnesium is important for the function of every cell in our bodies, especially in the nervous, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems. It also helps in maintaining normal testosterone levels.
A deficiency can lead to irregular heartbeat and muscle cramps.[13] Magnesium is proven to help against high blood pressure,[14] improving sleep and reducing the risk of depressions.[15]
Because of the high incidence of magnesium deficiencies amongst people with otherwise healthy diets, it is best to add it as a supplement.
Not all types of magnesium in supplements are well absorbed. The recommended forms according to studies are magnesium citrate, magnesium lactate, and magnesium aspartate.[16]
Non-organic forms such as Mg oxide or hydroxide have terrible absorption and increase the risk of indigestion.
Zinc
Zinc is another commonly deficient mineral. Research suggests that more than 17% of the world’s population is deficient in zinc and the percentage is even higher in elderly people – up to 30%.[17]
There is solid evidence that zinc can boost testosterone in men.[18]
Also, it is important for the normal function of the immune system.[19]
You should be careful with multivitamins that combine calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc in large doses.
These minerals compete with each other’s absorption because they use the same receptors, which can uptake no more than 800mgs of the minerals in total.[20]
This is why high doses of one mineral will block the absorption of the others.
Iodine
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 30% of the global population does not consume enough iodine.[21]
This is related to the fact that most soils and waters are depleted of iodine and many people choose sea salt instead of regular iodized salt.
While sea salt might have better taste and a large variety of minerals in it, but it usually contains only trace amounts of them.
Iodine deficiency can affect the normal function of the thyroid gland and lead to a slower metabolism, fatigue, memory problems and lower testosterone levels.
Best Multivitamin Pack: Persona Nutrition
Persona Nutrition provides men with their own personalized, monthly subscription vitamin pack to best meet their specific health needs.
In order to best customize individual vitamin packs, men should initially complete a quick assessment on Persona’s website to receive personalized, science-backed supplement
recommendations. Specific questions on this assessment gather information on specific types of diets, allergies and food sensitives, health conditions, medication use, and more.
Alternatively, men may also use the option to filter vitamins by certain health needs on the products page. Products that are specifically offered as ingredients tailored to men’s health include those such as Ashwagandha, Lycopene, Prostate Support, and selenium.
All vitamins and supplements offered by Persona adhere to FDA certified Good Manufacturing Practices and several of the ingredients included within its vitamin packs are trademarked, providing customers with greater transparency and trust.
Pros
- Highly Detailed Online Assessment
- Live Nutritionist Support
- 80 Different Ingredients Available
Cons
- Not All Ingredients are Trademarked
- Uses Proprietary Blends
- Does Not Rely on Blood Test or DNA Test
Best Multivitamin for Men 2021: Essential for Men
This multivitamin – developed by Harvard-trained scientists – helps men meet their nutritional needs and focuses on the 10 most common nutrient deficiencies found within men ages 18-49.
It also incorporates the heart-healthy fats Omega 3 which are scarce in the typical Western diet.
We’ve written a full review on Ritual if you’d like to learn more!
Pros
Contains the optimal amounts of D3
Absorbable Mg & Zn
Contains heart-friendly fat – Omega 3
Delayed-release capsule
Vegan-friendly & allergen-free
Cons
Lacks iodine
Best Multivitamin for Men Over 50: Essential for Men 50+
This multivitamin – developed by Harvard-trained scientists – helps men meet their nutritional needs and focuses on the 10 most common nutrient deficiencies found within men over 50.
The company provides automatic refills and free shipping, so you never have to worry about stocking up. The best part about Ritual’s Essential multivitamin is that it’s vegan-friendly, free of major allergens, and does not contain fillers of any kind.
Pros
- Optimal dosage within the RDI
- Great bioavailability
- Vegan-friendly
Cons
- Small blend
- Not compatible with blood-thinners
Best Multivitamin for Young Men: NutriGenesis® Multi for Men
The product contains over 17 essential vitamins and minerals and most of them are in optimal dosage.
Unfortunately, the product contains iron and calcium which are not recommended for male supplements but their content is very low so it shouldn’t be a problem.
Pros
Contains Iodine
Contains the optimal amount of K2 and D3
Vegan-friendly and allergen-free
Cons
Contains calcium and iron albeit only small amounts
Unspecified if salts are organic or not
Most Affordable Multivitamins: Multivitamin Softgels
The product is the less expensive alternative to the typical multivitamin pills. It also contains healthy omega 3 fatty acids which are important for heart health.
Unfortunately, some of the dosages are low and the minerals salts have low absorption. Besides, the product contains iron and calcium which are not recommended for men supplements.
Pros
Contains Omega 3
Less expensive
Subscription is available
Cons
Vitamin D3 amount is low
Contains Calcium and Iron albeit only small amounts
Mg and Zn as inorganic salts have terrible absorption
The take-home message
You should pick your multivitamin stack carefully, as many multivitamins are useless or even potentially dangerous.
On the other hand, we have selected a few good options that cover the most common deficiencies.
Some multivitamins have extra benefits for men, such as improving energy levels and libido.
Make sure to pick those multivitamins that best suited towards your needs and overall diet.
