The 8 Best Multivitamins for Men (2024): For Athletes, Bodybuilders, Men Over 50, More

A multivitamin supplement can help people fill nutrient gaps in a diet, providing them with extra minerals and vitamins. Can you get by just fine on whole foods? Sure, but there are reams of data suggesting that the risk of illness and quality of life can improve when you consume sufficient nutrients. Bone fractures appear to decrease when people supplement with vitamin D, for example, and fish oil seems to lower the risk of various inflammatory conditions. (1)(2) However, when trying to decipher the mystery of men’s multivitamins, there’s more to account for than which has the highest amounts of all the vitamins and minerals.

Some multis actually have too much of a nutrient, like vitamin C or selenium, which can cause digestive issues if you consume more than the recommended daily intake (RDI). Some nutrients also cancel one another out — for example, an uptick in zinc can potentially make calcium absorption difficult. There are also many healthful chemicals and compounds outside of the standard 26-ish vitamins and minerals like boron, plant extracts, antioxidants, digestive enzymes, and more. We took a look at the top brands on the market, and think that these are the best multivitamins for men.

Best Multivitamins for Men

• Best Multivitamin for Men: Transparent Labs Multivitamin
• Best Multivitamin for Athletes: Momentous Essential Multi
• Best All-Natural Vitamin for Men: Onnit Total Human
• Best Multivitamin for Men Over 50: Ritual Essential for Men 50+
• Best Personalized Multivitamin for Men: Care/of
• Best Multivitamin for Men’s Bodybuilding: Transparent Labs Multivitamin
• Best Multivitamin for Young Men: Onnit Total Human
• Best Men’s Multivitamin Gummy: SmartyPants Adult Complete Daily Multi

Editor’s note: The content on BarBend is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. The opinions and articles on this site are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. It’s always a good idea to talk to your doctor before beginning a new fitness, nutritional, and/or supplement routine. None of these supplements are meant to treat or cure any disease. If you feel you may be deficient in a particular nutrient or nutrients, please seek out a medical professional.

Video Review

While we still want you to read our well-researched list of the best multivitamins for men on the market today, sometimes visuals can be helpful. If you’re more of a visual learner, we’ve put together this in-depth video review of all our picks to go along with the article.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=aPVSnjTCtvw

How We Chose the Best Multivitamins for Men

There’s more to picking a men’s multi than just weighing the ingredients inside. To ensure only the best selections made this list, we considered the following three factors.

Diversity of Nutrients in Multivitamins for Men

We’re looking at multivitamins here, so if a product just hits you with some calcium and vitamin K, we consider that more of a bone health supplement than a comprehensive multi. But we haven’t selected many multivitamins that just have vitamins and minerals — as we mentioned above, there are some with enzymes, some with omega-3s, and some with compounds that haven’t yet been described as ‘essential’ by the FDA.

For example, nettle leaf extract, for example, has been linked to lower inflammation in a few studies, like a 2013 study in Phytomedicine. (3) It’s hard to say which results are totally definitive here, but we like it when most of a product’s ingredients are backed by science and extend beyond just vitamins.

Potency Support

We’re not about to say that every nutrient needs to have a really high dose. If you’re following a healthy diet, it’s unlikely that you need a thousand percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin B12. But when it makes sense, we want the right nutrients to have the right dosage for the average consumer. Which brings us to…

Interaction of Nutrients in Multivitamins

Some nutrients interact with each other, which also plays into potency and dosage. The Journal of the American College of Nutrition, for example, is one of many publications to have printed a study that found too much zinc in a supplement can lower the amount of calcium you absorb. We made sure all of the ingredients (and their dosages) in the products we selected for this list did not interact in a negative way. (4)

Best Multivitamin for Men: Transparent Labs Multivitamin

The best multivitamin needs to have a robust ingredients list, and provide effective doses of essential vitamins and minerals. This pick does both of the above.

Transparent Labs Multivitamin is made for anyone who may need an added boost of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and adaptogens to supplement their diet and workout routine. It’s got 100 percent of your recommended daily intake (RDI) of vitamins A and C, over 300 percent of your RDI of vitamin D and K, and over 1,000 percent of your RDI of vitamin B1, B6, and B12. You’ll also find magnesium, biotin, iodine, and zinc.

Transparent Labs includes ashwagandha and coenzyme Q10, as well. You do have to take four capsules a day for a full dose, but for this well-rounded ingredients list, we think the extra couple of capsules may be worth it. You can pick up a 30-serving bottle of this multi for a decent price of around $29.99 (about $1.00 per serving).

Transparent Labs Multivitamin at the BarBend garage gymTransparent Labs Multivitamin is great for men who are looking for a wide variety of vitamins and minerals at high dosages — it’s got over 20 nutrients, including solid doses of B vitamins and even adaptogens.

Best Multivitamin for Athletes: Momentous Essential Multi

B vitamins can be a great source of energy, and this supplement packs 323 percent of the daily value for vitamin B2, 394 percent of the daily value for vitamin B6, and a whopping 8,333 percent of the daily value for vitamin B12. While this is likely more than most people could need, these high doses will ensure that the body has what it requires, and it’ll dispense the rest. 

Overall, Momentous Essential Multi includes over 30 essential vitamins and minerals like vitamin K1, vitamin K2 and vitamin D, as well as zinc, magnesium, and calcium. It also includes muscadine grape powder, citrus flavonoids, and trans resveratrol, which may help reduce inflammation and speed up metabolism. (5)(6) At $54.95 for a month’s supply, It’ll run you about $1.83 per serving, but it’s a good price for what you’re getting. If the price puts too big a squeeze on your budget, you can save eight bucks by going with a monthly subscription.

If your priority is athletic performance, Momentous will not let you down — with high doses of B vitamins and over 30 vitamins and minerals total, this product can help keep your fatigue at bay and your gym sessions strong.

Best All-Natural Multivitamin for Men: Onnit Total Human

If you value a robust ingredient list of all organic vitamins and minerals sourced from whole foods (like fruits and veggies), look no further than Onnit’s Total Human.

Onnit brands its Total Human as “more than a multivitamin” and they aren’t exaggerating. They break the dosing into two packs, one for daytime support and one for nighttime support. Though, the daily serving is 16 pills total with eight in the morning and eight in the evening. Each ingredient has its exact dosage listed for transparency, which is important so you know precisely what you’re receiving in each capsule.

When reading the ingredients list, you’ll notice that all of the food and herbs listed are organically and/or naturally sourced — Onnit takes care to include only high-quality ingredients. The capsules are vegetarian, though this product does contain fish and shellfish ingredients, like krill oil, so it may not be suitable for vegans and vegetarians.

The daytime pack includes four Onnit supplements: Alpha BRAIN, Shroom Tech Sport, Stron BONE, and Total Human B Complex. The night pack includes Onnit Staples New MOOD, VIRUTech, and Key Minerals. Some ingredients are found in both the day and night packs, such as Shroom Tech IMMUNE, Krill Oil, and Spirulina & Chlorella. 

This is a stacked supplement, and its price tag is a reflection of that — the cheapest option is a 90-day supply costing $4.55 per day for both daytime and nighttime supplements. The good news here is that there is a seven-day trial available to make sure you like the product before taking the plunge on a 90-day supply. If you can swing the price tag, this comprehensive all-natural package will take care of almost every wellness supplement you may need, both day and night.

If you’re looking for a multivitamin that contains all-natural, organic ingredients, can help support a wide variety of health parameters and comes in pre-packaged day and night packs, that’s an oddly specific list, but Onnit Total Human should check all your boxes perfectly. This product may come at a premium price, but for those who can pay, we think it’s totally worth it.

Read our full of Onnit Total Human review.

Best Multivitamin For Men Over 50: Ritual Essential for Men 50+

Older adults should prioritize healthy nutrient levels to ensure they stay energized and sharp. The Ritual Essential Multivitamin for Men 50+ is an ideal option for older gents who need a little extra supplementation.

When you’re over 50, it may be even more important to get your daily dose of vitamins and minerals. One study’s findings show that adults over 50 are at risk of being deficient in vitamin B12. (7) This formula contains 667 percent of your daily vitamin B12 needs. You also get vitamin K, vitamin D and boron, which may help support your bone health. (8) 

We did have to dock the formula a few points, though, as this one doesn’t contain calcium or vitamin C. Ritual earned a 4 out of 5 for its formulation, though the brand does explain these were left out because most US adults get enough calcium and vitamin C in their daily diet.

“These have a minty essence, which I liked,” our tester said, giving the flavor a 5 out of 5. “It can be a bit much if you take these first thing in the morning, so I would wait until you’re having breakfast.”

Unlike some other multivitamins, this one is actually pretty budget-friendly, earning a 5 out of 5 for price per serving. One 30-serving bottle costs $31.20, which comes out to only about $0.96 per serving. Many other multivitamins cost well over a dollar per serving, so we liked the price point here.

Best Personalized Multivitamin for Men: Care/of

Instead of going to the store and grabbing a multivitamin that has most of what you need, or even all of what you need but some of what you don’t, some companies design vitamin packs custom to you. 

One of those companies is Care/of. The first step of the process is taking a quiz, which asks you questions about your lifestyle and health goals to determine which of their 31 vitamins, minerals, herbs, and probiotics you’ll receive in your pack. After analyzing your answer, Care/of sends you a handful of pills tailored towards your goals — which can include brain health, skin care, bone health, etc. With that, comes, well, a decent amount of pills (sometimes seven or more) you need to swallow.

The benefit is that you’re getting vitamins that your body may actually need. If you’re feeling sluggish, then Care/of may send you vitamin D to actively pick you back up. Still, we have two points to make: There are other ingredients — such as cellulose, glycerine, silica — depending on your order, and though prices start at a low of $20, the cost usually comes out higher. (But you can remove pills from your order if you feel like you don’t need them.)

Care/Of MultivitaminSometimes it’s reassuring to take a nutrition quiz and know that your answers are creating a blend of nutrients that may be just the right fit for you — Care/of is one of the best personalized multis on the market. 

Read our full review of Care/of.

Best Multivitamin for Men’s Bodybuilding: Transparent Labs Multivitamin

Transparent Labs Multivitamin is a comprehensive multivitamin that contains over 20 vitamins and minerals. These pills include zinc, vitamin D, and vitamin C — all of which can help fight inflammation after tough workouts. This multi also contains chromium, which may help with joint health, and zinc, which plays a role in maintaining healthy testosterone levels. (9)(10)

A major plus to this supplement is that it contains 1667 percent of the daily recommended allowance of vitamin B1, 1000 percent of vitamin B5, 1471 percent of vitamin B6, 1667 percent of vitamin B7, and 8333 percent of vitamin B12, which can provide athletes energy throughout their training. However, you do need to take four of these capsules daily, which may be a lot for athletes who have trouble (or at least an aversion to) swallowing pills. 

If you’re working hard at the gym to gain muscle, you’ll want a multivitamin that works just as hard with you. Transparent Labs Multivitamin has an ingredient list that is comprehensive and includes vitamins and minerals that can help with inflammation and joint health.

Best Multivitamin for Young Men: Onnit Total Human

If you’re young and just finding your way in the supplement world, you may want a multivitamin that shows the research for you. This product packs all the right ingredients for young men into a two-capsule daily dose for day and night and explains all its ingredients on its website.

Onnit Total Human multivitamin includes a wide variety of supplements, and splits them up into daytime pills and nighttime pills to make sure you’re getting everything you need throughout the day and while you sleep. As you’re aging, it’s important to make sure you’re fueling your body with all the vitamins and minerals necessary to develop fully and help you reach peak performance in the gym, or any activity. 

Onnit Total Human took all of this into consideration to build a stacked list of supplements. The daytime pack includes four Onnit supplements: Alpha BRAIN for focus and clarity, Shroom Tech Sport, which includes adaptogens that may help combat stress, Stron BONE, which may influence healthy bones, and Total Human B Complex, which includes a stack of B vitamins that may help mood and cognitive performance. 

Onnit also walks you through all of these supps on their website, which can be key for young folks who are just getting into supplements.

Young men who are looking for a heavy-hitting multivitamin that checks all the big marks, and even contains supplements for brain function and recovery will love this extremely diverse supplement stack. Plus, Onnit details its ingredients online, which may be helpful for men who haven’t done a lot of their own research in the supplement space just yet. 

Best Men’s Multivitamin Gummy: SmartyPants Adult Complete Gummy

Gummies typically taste better than chalky chews or swallowing a pill, so you probably won’t mind taking more of them. It also helps when you know the product you’re taking isn’t serving you up useless fillers. 

SmartyPants Adult Complete Gummy took our top spot in the gummy vitamin department. The serving size is six gummies, but this brand has a lot going for it that you may find missing in many competitors: 150 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids, 225 percent of the recommended daily intake (RDI) of vitamin D, and vitamin B12 from methylcobalamin. 

Bonus: It’s pretty low in sugar and there are no artificial sweeteners, which is not a common find in gummy vitamin supplements.

Sometimes gummies are the best way to go if you’re pill-adverse and worried about taste — these gummies are low in sugar, provide omega-3’s, and still taste great.

The Vitamins and Minerals Men Should Have In Their Multivitamin 

Here’s a list of some of the vitamins and minerals that you should ensure are in your men’s multi formula. 

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is made when sunlight is absorbed into your skin, which triggers a chemical reaction that forms the vitamin. It’s estimated that 50 percent of people worldwide aren’t getting the recommended vitamin D intake (about 1,000 international units or IU). (11) 

This vitamin can help our bodies absorb calcium, therefore better fortifying our bones. A lack of vitamin D can result in weak bones or even bone loss. It’s found mainly in fatty fish, egg yolks, juices, cereals, and milk.

Iron

This nutrient is abundant in red meat, so vegetarians and vegans may not get enough. And you need iron to help regulate energy levels, safeguard brain function, and form red blood cells. You can boost iron levels naturally by eating more spinach, organ meats, red meat, quinoa, and broccoli. 

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a nutrient that’s touted more highly than omega-3 fatty acids. That’s not to say it hasn’t earned the praise — after all, they can help prevent heart disease, improve your vision, and promote healthy joint health. Omega-3 fatty acids are commonly found in fish and algae. (12)(13)

Folate

Folate is technically a B vitamin, but it’s especially important as it is responsible for cellular division, and DNA and red blood cell production. Some people have a genetic mutation that prevents your body from converting folate inside of your body into a usable form. You can eat fresh fruit and vegetables to get your levels up. 

Vitamin B12

There are eight B vitamins, and together they can help to manage our body’s energy levels. Individually, B12, which is found predominantly in animal products, can help keep our nerves and blood cells healthy. 

Zinc

Your body needs zinc, and yet, you can’t produce it naturally. Zinc can help with healing wounds, immune function, general growth and development, and protein synthesis. Also, 300 enzymes need zinc to function properly. Common food sources that contain zinc include fish, poultry, meat, shellfish, eggs, and whole grains. (14) 

Magnesium

This essential nutrient is important for bone health and energy production. Also, magnesium can help make protein, ease sleep, and regulate muscle function. (15) You can increase your magnesium intake by eating spinach, artichoke, soybeans, brown rice, tofu, and nuts. 

Vitamin E

This vitamin is really an antioxidant, and its main benefit is that it can help protect your cells from being damaged. It’s important to note that this vitamin is fat-soluble, which means it’s stored in your body’s fat. So you may not need to supplement with a high dose. Try to get it from foods such as sunflower seeds, peanuts, mango, tomato, and almonds (really, most nuts).

Vitamin K

Another fat-soluble vitamin, vitamin K produces a compound that can help clot blood to boost your metabolic health. It also can help regulate your calcium stores; essentially, vitamin K can help to ensure that your bones get calcium and that your arteries aren’t clogged. Foods that contain vitamin K include green leafy veggies, fish, liver, other meat, and cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower. 

Benefits of Multivitamins

Multivitamins are a great way to fill gaps in an otherwise nutrient-dense, whole foods diet. But if you’re looking to replace a healthy diet with multivitamins, you may be making the wrong decision. 

Multivitamins are certainly a helpful tool but they probably won’t help reduce your risk of any chronic disease, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. However, a randomized clinical trial did find that daily multivitamin supplements may help reduce cancer risk if taken consistently, specifically for men. (16) For some adults, investing in whole foods is probably a better choice than supplements. With a nutritious diet, you can get all the vitamins and minerals you need, plus nutrients like fiber (crucial for digestion), which aren’t found in multivitamins.

All that considered, taking a multivitamin certainly won’t hurt and can help you increase levels of specific vitamins and minerals you may be missing. For athletes, common multivitamin ingredients, like vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and zinc can help promote recovery and improve performance, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Or for older adults, you can find multivitamin formulas specifically geared towards bone and joint support. Although these won’t help prevent osteoporosis, multivitamins rich in vitamin D and calcium can help maintain bone mineral density and joint health, according to the Mayo Clinic News Network. 

The bottom line? Multivitamins are a great tool to help you meet and exceed your daily vitamin goals but they shouldn’t substitute nutrient-dense whole food diets.

When Should Men Take Multivitamins?

It’s best to take multivitamins in the morning with breakfast to help ease absorption. Since many multivitamins contain B vitamins — which can help with energy and metabolism — it’s ideal to take them early to prime your body for the day. (17)

Since multivitamins are typically filling gaps in your diet, if you forget to take them in the morning, you’ll still be able to fill those gaps if you take them at night. Your body just may not get to utilize the full effects of the B vitamins or other primers during the day if your body is processing the vitamins as you sleep. 

What to Consider Before Buying Multivitamins for Men

Since there are so many ingredients within multivitamins, you’ll definitely want to do your due diligence before purchasing. Make sure to consider what ingredients you’re looking for, your preferred form, and the price you’re willing to pay before picking your multi supplement. 

Ingredients and Dosage

The ingredients in multivitamins vary immensely. If you’re looking for a particular vitamin — say you need more vitamin D in your life — you’re going to want to check the label and make sure the product you’re considering contains the specific vitamin or mineral you need. 

In addition to that, you’re going to want to make sure these multis have the proper dosages of the vitamins and minerals you want. For example, some offer over 100 percent of your RDI for certain ingredients, and if you’re the type who doesn’t want to take more than you need, you’ll want to check the labels for that prior to purchase. 

When considering ingredients and dosages, it’s important to know that many of these multivitamins contain blends of vitamins and minerals. With these types of products, you don’t know exactly how much you are getting of each ingredient. If that’s something that bothers you, you’ll want to opt for a product like Ritual that tells you exactly how much of each of its ingredients are in your multi.

Form

Multivitamins can come in capsule, powder, or gummy form. There is no form that is better than the other, but you’ll want to consider your personal preference before buying. Are you always on the go and need a convenient gummy or pill you can take with you? Do you prefer to sip on your vitamins right when you wake up in the morning? Make sure you’ve answered questions like these so you can choose the proper form for your multivitamin.

Price

Because the ingredients vary so widely in multivitamins, so do the prices. The more robust the ingredients list, the more expensive the multivitamin is going to be. The more personalized your multis are, the more expensive they will be. Less robust and unpersonalized products tend to be less expensive. So before you pick out the product with the most ingredients, be sure you have the funds to back it up. You’ll also want to watch out for proprietary blends which don’t disclose the exact amount of each individual product. You will more than likely pay less for the supplement, but you may be missing out on optimal dosages. 

Final Word

Multivitamins can be a great way to fill gaps in your diet or just consume more vitamins and minerals in general. Whether you’re looking for an extensive ingredients list, personalized blend, greens powder, or just a basic gummy vitamin, we’ve picked out our favorites in multiple categories for you to consider. Be sure you know exactly what ingredients you’re looking for, the doses you want them in, and the price you’re willing to pay before you shop. After that, let this list guide you to your perfect match. 

FAQs

References

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