The H&B Edit: Best multivitamins for men

Multivits typically contain the main players in the vitamin and mineral world – such as vitamin B12 and iron for energy, vitamin C for immunity support and vitamin D with calcium for normal bones.¹ Although this makes them super convenient, it means they’re more of a one-size-fits all approach. So how could you begin to tailor your supplement routine?

Needless to say, men and women’s bodies are different. By taking a specially formulated men’s multivitamin, typically, it’s been designed to meet the varying levels of nutrients compared to women. Plus, they often contain zinc² to help maintain normal testosterone levels, and selenium,³ which contributes to normal sperm production.

But which to choose? Let’s go through what men and people assigned male at birth (AMAB) might need, as well as our favourite multivitamins and real customer reviews.

If you’re looking to add more vitamins and minerals to your diet, then multivitamins are good way of ensuring that you’re getting your daily dose. However, the NHS assures that you should be able to get enough nutrients from a healthy, well-balanced diet. That said, with more and more of us on vegan, vegetarian and specialist diets than ever, it can be difficult for us to get all our vitamins from foods.

The following vitamins and minerals are common nutrients that men between the ages of 19 and 70 are likely to need:

It’s important to note that these health benefits are obtained when the daily intake of these vitamins and minerals is at least 15% of the NRV (Nutritional Reference Value). Men and those AMAB are at lower risk of iron deficiency as they don’t lose blood through periods as menstruating women do. So the need for iron is lower.¹⁴ However, it's advisable to get iron through a healthy, balanced diet and it shouldn’t be supplemented if it’s not advised by a doctor – as you can have too much.¹⁵

With plenty of products around, choosing the ‘best’ supplement can be a difficult process. But most importantly, remember that whatever the strength of a supplement, it shouldn’t replace a healthy diet.

The key is to consider your age, carefully assess gaps in your diet, and think about what’s going to work best for you to achieve your health and lifestyle goals. Combining your supplements can also make them work harder – we asked a nutritionist about powerful supplement pairings that are more effective together.