The 7 Best Multivitamins for Men of 2023

Are Multivitamins for Men Beneficial?

You may benefit from a vitamin and/or mineral supplement if you have, or are at risk of, a deficiency. We recommend that you work with a medical provider to identify potential vitamin or mineral deficiencies via laboratory testing like blood work. This would allow you to have a supplement approach specific to your needs. Realistically, this is not common practice in our healthcare system, so if you think you might be deficient in one or several vitamins or minerals, you may have to advocate for yourself to be tested.

“Oftentimes multivitamins alone aren’t enough to reverse a deficiency. That is why if someone suspects they are deficient in a vitamin or mineral, it’s crucial to meet with a qualified dietitian to develop a plan of action that works and is backed by science,” says Crystal Pace, MS, RD, IFNCP, RYT.

Men who may not be meeting their micronutrient requirements or who are at risk for a deficiency include:

• Those restricting energy intake for weight loss
• Those with reduced intake related to poor appetite or illness
• Those following strict dietary protocols, such as the ketogenic diet, vegan, low FODMAP, and carnivore diets
• Those with increased needs related to physical pursuits, such as athletes and those who work jobs requiring long and/or extreme bouts of manual labor
• Those with a gastrointestinal (GI) disease or who have undergone GI surgery, including bariatric surgery
• Those with very high alcohol intakes or who have alcohol use disorder
• Those on micronutrient-depleting medications

The following medications are considered micronutrient-depleting and may deplete the corresponding nutrients:

• Proton Pump Inhibitors: may deplete B12 and magnesium
• NSAIDs (Aspirin): may deplete vitamin C
• Anti-Hypertensives (Diuretics): may deplete calcium
• Statins: may deplete coenzyme Q10
• Metformin: may deplete B12
• Corticosteroids: may deplete calcium, vitamin D, potassium
• Bronchodilators: may deplete calcium, vitamin D

Who May Not Benefit from a Men’s Multivitamin

The different vitamins and minerals found in a particular whole food (a fruit or vegetable, for example) work together in ways we are only beginning to understand. Because of this, there are numerous benefits to getting our nutrients from eating a wide variety of whole foods. Scientists are calling the complex relationship of all the various components that make up a whole food the food matrix. While some supplement companies try to pack in all of these nutrients in their multivitamins, we don't know if this will ever be as effective as getting our nutrients from food as nature intended.

Given the lack of scientific evidence, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics does not recommend the routine use of multivitamins for preventing chronic diseases without first carefully weighing the risks and benefits.

Those who may not benefit from a men's multivitamin include:

Those who eat a varied diet and don't have health issues: If you are not vegetarian or vegan, eat a variety of nutrient-dense foods, and have no medical indication for extra vitamins and minerals, there is probably no need to add the expense of a multivitamin.

Those on certain medications: Multivitamins can influence the dosage and effectiveness of your medication. For example, vitamin K could reduce the effectiveness of your blood thinner as your body utilizes it to assist with blood clotting. Vitamin E, on the other hand, inhibits blood clotting and may increase your risk of bleeding if you are on a blood thinner. If you are taking any medications, check with a healthcare provider before starting a multivitamin.

How We Select Supplements

Our team works hard to be transparent about why we recommend certain supplements; you can read more about our dietary supplement methodology here. 

To help come up with this list, we consulted with experts Kyala Clegg, MS, RD, CSCS, CES, and Crystal Pace, MS, RD, IFNCP, RYT.

We support supplements that are evidence-based and rooted in science. We value certain product attributes that we find to be associated with the highest quality products. We prioritize products that are third-party tested and certified by one of three independent, third-party certifiers: USP, NSF, or ConsumerLabs.

It's important to note that the FDA does not review dietary supplements for safety and effectiveness before they go to market. Our team of experts has created a detailed, science-backed methodology to choose the supplements we recommend.

What to Look For in a Men's Multivitamin

The bottom line is that multivitamins don’t account for our unique individual nutrient needs. Our nutrient needs vary based on factors such as our age, genetics, health status, environment, and level of activity. Therefore, most multivitamins are more of a “shotgun” approach to ensuring that you are covering the nutritional gaps from food alone.

We recommend working with a healthcare provider to determine if you need to supplement and, if so, with what nutrients. Multivitamins can vary in what vitamins and minerals they contain and to what amount of each nutrient they provide. For example, some multivitamins for men contain iron, and some do not. Men eating a variety of foods, especially red meat, may not need iron in a multivitamin.

Third-Party Testing

Supplements that are third-party tested are sent to a lab where they are tested to ensure they contain what they say they contain and are not contaminated with specific high-risk, common contaminants. However, it’s important to note:

1. Third-party testing does not test to see if a product is effective or safe for everyone, and it does not ensure the supplement will not interact with other supplements or medications. 
2. Not all third-party testing is created equal. It is not uncommon for supplement companies to pay labs for certificates after conducting minimal to no testing. 
3. The third-party certifications we can trust are: ConsumerLabs, NSF, and USP. However, these certifications are difficult to obtain and/or expensive, so many companies choose not to get their products tested by one of these three organizations. 
4. Sometimes products tested by these three companies are more expensive to try to offset the cost they pay for certification.
5. Just because a supplement is not tested by one of these three companies does not mean it’s a bad product. We recommend doing some research on the reputability of the manufacturer and calling up the manufacturer and their testing lab to determine their protocols and decide if you feel comfortable consuming the supplement.

While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established good manufacturing practices for dietary supplements to ensure products contain their listed ingredients in the amounts claimed and are free of contaminants, companies are responsible for meeting these requirements on their own. Therefore, the FDA will only investigate a multivitamin if someone reports that it has caused harm.

Form

Physical forms: You can find men’s multivitamins in capsule, tablet, gummy, liquid, and even powder form. Capsules may be better than pills to ensure greater absorption. Powdered or liquid forms may also be preferable if you have a hard time swallowing pills or have trouble with digestion (from things like gastric surgery or reflux). Another benefit of liquid variations is that you might be able to modify the dosage more easily.

Nutrient forms: Supplement companies will also use different forms of each vitamin and mineral found in the multivitamin. For example:

• Vitamin A: Some multivitamins will have vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene, which is the plant form found in plants that your body will turn into usable vitamin A. We recommend looking for the beta-carotene form of vitamin A in your supplements, as it has the least risk of toxicity.
• Vitamin B12: Some multivitamins will have a synthetic form of B12 known as cyanocobalamin, while others will have a naturally occurring form known as methylcobalamin. Research shows that your body may be able to better utilize B12 as methylcobalamin and that there is some concern with B12 as cyanocobalamin because it may lead to the build-up of cyanide, a potentially dangerous chemical.

Ingredients & Potential Interactions

It is essential to carefully read the ingredient list and nutrition facts panel of a supplement to know which ingredients and how much of each ingredient is included relative to the recommended daily value of that ingredient. Please bring the supplement label to a healthcare provider to review the different ingredients contained in the supplement and any potential interactions between these ingredients and other supplements and medications you are taking.

Many men’s multivitamins on the market today also contain additional ingredients like herbs, enzymes, and probiotics, with additional health claims that haven’t necessarily been validated through quality research. Some of those ingredients may interact with some of your medications and/or medical treatments, which is why it is vital to review supplements you are or plan on taking with a medical provider.

There are many factors that contribute to how easily our bodies can use the vitamins and minerals we consume from food or supplements. Some nutrients work together, so consuming them at the same time is beneficial. Other nutrients work against each other, so it is best not to consume them at the same time. For example, calcium reduces your absorption of iron, whereas vitamin C can enhance it.

According to the 2015-2020 USDA dietary guidelines for Americans, people are not consuming enough choline, magnesium, calcium, and vitamins A, D, E, and C. The 2020-2025 guidelines list calcium, potassium, and vitamin D as nutrients of a public health concern due to underconsumption from food. So, with that considered, these might be the most important nutrients to include in a multivitamin.

Dosage & How Much Is Too Much?

It is important to learn how to read the supplement facts label. That way, you can compare the amounts of each vitamin and mineral with the Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (UL) in order to avoid toxic intakes of any one vitamin or mineral. This will allow you to identify if a multivitamin—combined with your micronutrient intake from other sources—can be taken safely. Use this tool from ConsumerLab to help guide you.