Our Simple Guide to Men’s Health: Tips to Figure out the Best Men’s Multivitamin For You

As physicians, men often ask us, “Should I take men’s multivitamin? Do men’s multivitamins really work?” If so, they want to know what is the best men’s multivitamin and how to figure out the best vitamins to take for their needs.

Though we are women, we have spent years practicing medicine and studying vitamins and we have advised many men on this subject. Turns out, there is a lot to know about multivitamins for men.

For starters, what are some key aspects of preventive health for men?

While men tend not to have the same issues with bone density that women do, they do tend to want to build and maintain their muscle strength.  This requires certain key nutrients. Specifically Vitamin D3 is important. This vitamin is hard to come by via food sources and is only obtained via sunlight, but even so, few of us get enough vitamin D this way and need to take proper and safe amounts via a supplement. Figuring out just how much to take is the key (take our personalized vitamin quiz here to help determine your needs).

Another important vitamin for men can be magnesium.  This important element is key for muscle strength and function. What is the point of getting protein to build strong muscles if your muscles don’t have what they need to work optimally? Magnesium does just that. It helps all your muscles contract smoothly (we will spare you the detailed bio chem on this but you may remember some of those ion channels from back in high school bio… it’s that stuff).  The interesting thing about magnesium is that it not only helps your body’s skeletal muscles work, but it also helps fuel all of your muscles, including your heart and blood vessels (yes, they have teeny tiny muscles in them).  Taking magnesium can be important for heart health and blood pressure. It also can be helpful in a smoothly functioning GI tract, since your gut is also one big muscle.

Magnesium is not found in significant amounts in many off the shelf one a day men’s multivitamins. The best men’s multivitamins contain more than the typical “one a day” dosing. Most men need approximately 300mg daily of magnesium to help support muscle strength and heart health. But amounts can vary.  Taking the right multivitamin for men should include an appropriate dose of magnesium. Our custom vitamin survey can help you get what you need.

In addition to supporting muscle strength and hearth health, the best multivitamins for men may also take into account hair loss. We know that many men suffer from thinning hair or hair loss. And there are in fact vitamins for thinning hair. This process in men is in part hormonal, but vitamin deficiencies can play a role in hair loss. A good multivitamin for men can address thinning hair by providing nutrients to support hair growth. These can include iron (yes men can be iron deficient too, as often their total body iron stores are low), Vitamin D3 and also biotin. Biotin is a B vitamin that is an essential building block for hair. When iron is a part of a custom vitamin regimen it should be paired with vitamin C for proper absorption. Find out what your custom one a day vitamin might look like by taking our vitamin quiz.

When looking at things that men look for in a multivitamin prostate health is also important. It turns out, vitamins for prostate health are complicated subject. Many vitamins that have been suggested to be healthy for the prostate have proven not to do much. Some have even been shown to be harmful. We suggest, that less is more in this realm. Some key nutrients such as vitamin E have been shown to be harmful in higher doses. Thus sticking to a lower dose of E to help with other potential benefits (heart, immunity) is recommended. Some benefit may be seen from lycopene and selenium but this is still not overwhelming data and some recommend only supplementing if proven to have prostate cancer or other illnesses. Vitamin D is important for prostate health and should be included in most men’s multivitamins at proper doses.

So when asking “Should I take a men’s multivitamin?” the answer is Yes. And No. Yes you should take the right vitamins for your needs. This is probably not found in a traditional “multivitamin for men”. The reality is that each man (and each woman for that matter) has different vitamin needs based on who they are, their diet, their lifestyle and their individual health concerns. Taking a custom vitamin tailored to their needs is the really the best multivitamin for men. We founded Vous Vitamin® based on the concept that each person can take a medically sound high quality custom all in one vitamin.  When we talk about men’s health, the question should not just be “what is the best men’s multivitamin” but rather what vitamins should I be taking to feel better and stay healthy. That largely depends on each man’s nutritional needs. Take our personalized vitamin quiz to get exactly what you need.

Romy Block specializes in Endocrinology and Metabolism and is mother to three active adolescent boys. Arielle Levitan is a Doctor of Internal Medicine with a special interest in Preventive Medicine and Women’s Health.  She is a mother of three teen agers. As professional women with active family lives, they recognize that people often neglect their own health needs and are uncertain about what vitamins to take. Each person is different in her diet, exercise and health history, and will benefit from different nutrients.  After years of advising their patients about the proper vitamins to take,  Drs. Block and Levitan created Vous Vitamin® to provide people everywhere with quality vitamins that are suited to their individual needs. They are authors of the award winning The Vitamin Solution: Two Doctors Clear Confusion About Vitamins and Your Health (She Writes Press, 2015). Take your vitamin survey now to get exactly the right vitamins for your needs.

The statements made in this article have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The products offered by Vous Vitamin® are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Nothing contained herein is intended to be a diagnosis or constitute medical advice.  The symptoms described in this Blog may be a result of a serious medical condition which requires medical treatment.  You should consult with your doctor if you are experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned in this Blog and before beginning any vitamin or supplement regimen.