Even if you haven’t taken one before in your life, there’s a certain age at which most men start thinking about taking a multivitamin. It’s easy to understand why this would be useful. Most adults don’t get enough fruits and vegetables in their diet, and even for those that do, a multivitamin can act as insurance to make sure we get enough of nutrients like vitamins D or B12, which we may not get in sufficient quantities from food sources alone.
But we’ve all seen how some multivitamins are marketed for men, while others are marketed to women. Are there big differences in these multis, and in the nutritional needs of men and women? We’ll talk about how to find the best multivitamin for men, below.
Choosing the Best Multivitamin for Men
For the most part, men and women need the same vitamins. But there are differences in body sizes, and in the diets of individuals. Some men’s multivitamins simply have bigger doses of nutrients than their for-women equivalents, because men tend to be a little larger. If you are unclear about whether or not some multivitamin is right for your body, find out how much someone of your weight typically needs. If your multi doesn’t provide enough, or if it provides far too much, think about switching to something more appropriate.
There are some ingredient differences, typically, in multivitamins for men and women. Men’s multivitamins typically include less calcium, iron, magnesium, folic acid, and B vitamins of various sorts. It’s not necessarily a bad thing for a man to take more than necessary of these vitamins and minerals, but generally speaking people who take too-high levels of vitamins , at best, counteract the effectiveness of an appropriate dose. At worst, side effects may be observed.
Differences in Quality and Ingredients
Now that we’re through with the differences between multivitamins made for men and women, here is how to choose the best multivitamin for men on the market.
Science is unclear about whether or not the human body better metabolizes natural or synthetic vitamins. Most studies seem to indicate that there is little difference in absorption of vitamins derived from these two different methods. But other studies suggest that there may be issues when synthetic vitamins are taken long term.
Anecdotally speaking, some people have a harder time digesting a pressed pill of synthetic vitamins than a pill containing vitamins from food sources. Many synthetic pills should only be taken with food, because individuals may feel like they swallowed a small stone when taking these pills on an empty stomach. For people with sensitive stomachs, multivitamins from food sources may be the way to go if only for comfort when digesting them.
One last important consideration to make when choosing the best multivitamin for men, is the age group that the multivitamin is intended for. Our bodies need different levels of vitamins at different stages of life. Multivitamins for older men may be more focused on sustaining strength and bone density, while multivitamins for younger men may be focused on setting the stage for general health now and later in life. The difference in vitamin composition is not as pronounced for men as it is for women, but these factors still should not be ignored.
A multivitamin is a great way for us to know that our bodies are getting the baseline nutrition they need, no matter what we happened to eat that day. They’re not intended to be a replacement for a quality diet, but they can do a great deal to fill in the gaps for a diet that is less than perfect. There are many choices for men when it comes to multivitamins. We hope this guide will make it a little easier to make your choice.
Our Picks
NHC’s Choice
Men Over 40 – One Daily from MegaFood
Men Over 50 – Once Daily Ultra Potency Multivitamin from Alive
All Adults – Multi-Vitamin Adult Gummies from Alive
Also Recommended -Â Vita Min Herb Multi for Men from Pure Synergy
Shop for other men’s multivitamins to support your specific needs.
