Best Multivitamins for Men Over 50 – Introduction
What is the best multivitamin for men over 50 in 2023?
Working out is crucial for long-term health and fitness.
It can even have a big impact on your longevity.
Regular exercise builds muscle, improves cardiovascular health and fitness, and can help ward off many of the chronic diseases that plague modern-day humans, such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, and even some cancers.
More importantly, and this is especially important for men over 50, exercise can preserve your work capacity.
So, as the inevitable physical decline that comes with age starts to make itself known, you are more likely to be able to continue being physically active.
Age-related muscle loss and decreases in fitness are pretty much unavoidable.
But if you’ve already built up plenty of muscle and fitness, you can afford to lose some without it causing too many problems.
But, as important as exercise is, your diet is equally critical for your long-term health and physical performance.
As the old saying goes, you are what you eat!
The food that makes up your diet contains not just energy (calories) but macronutrients (big) and micronutrients (small), too.
Your body needs all these things to function correctly.
In this article, we’re going to take a look at the micronutrients, how best to ensure you are consuming enough, and how multivitamins fit into a healthy diet.
What Are Micronutrients?
Micronutrients are the collective term for vitamins and minerals.
In contrast, macronutrients refer to dietary proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.
Unlike the macros, vitamins and minerals contain no energy but are involved in the chemical reactions in your body that sustain life.
In fact, one definition of vitamins and minerals is “substances that, if missing from the diet, will result in illness and poor health.”
The best way to think of vitamins and minerals is as spark plugs.
They are the biological catalysts that activate enzymes and ensure that the reactions within your body happen when they’re needed.
No vitamins and minerals mean no (or very slow) reactions.
These reactions include things like immune system function, energy production, blood clotting, skin health, eye health, memory, bone formation, and even the contractions of your heart and muscles.
There are even diseases linked directly to vitamin and mineral deficiencies, such as scurvy (lack of vitamin C), rickets (vitamin D deficiency), and osteoporosis (lack of calcium).
Vitamins can be divided into two groups – water-soluble and fat-soluble.
While your body can store fat-soluble vitamins, so they only need to be consumed a few times a week, water-soluble vitamins are unstorable and must be consumed daily.
Water-soluble vitamins
The water-soluble vitamins are:
- B vitamins such as; folic acid, vitamin b6, and vitamin b12
- Ascorbic acid, more commonly known as vitamin C
Fat-soluble vitamins
The fat-soluble vitamins are:
- Vitamin A, D, E, and K
We get vitamins from plants (fruit, vegetables, beans, etc.) and animals that have eaten plants.
Some important vitamins are also synthesized by our body’s cells, such as vitamin D3 and vitamin K.
In contrast, minerals are inorganic substances found in the very soil and earth beneath our feet.
Plants absorb them, animals eat them, and we obtain minerals second-hand.
There are a great many minerals, and they’re needed in varying amounts.
Some are trace minerals, needed in tiny amounts, while others are required in larger quantities and are called macro minerals.
Trace minerals
The trace minerals are:
- Copper
- Aluminum
- Manganese
- Iodine
- Boron
- Fluoride
- Selenium
- Zinc
- Cobalt
- Chromium
Macro minerals
And the macro minerals are:
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Sodium
- Potassium
The Best Way to Get Enough Vitamins and Minerals
Without a shadow of a doubt, the best way to make sure you are getting enough vitamins and minerals is to eat a healthy diet.
Natural foods contain an abundance of vitamins and minerals in perfect ratios for easy absorption.
In foods, vitamins and minerals combine, so they function at their best.
As such, the first and best way to ensure you are getting all the vitamins and minerals you need is to eat natural, unprocessed foods.
That means plenty of:
- Vegetables
- Nuts
- Fish
- Lean meats
- Seeds
- Fruit
- Whole grains
Processed foods are invariably stripped of their vitamin and mineral content, very high in calories, and not especially filling.
That’s why, whatever diet you choose to follow, natural foods are best. Not just for your health but your waistline, too.
One way to ensure that you get a broad spectrum of vitamins and minerals in your diet is to eat a wide range of foods.
A straightforward strategy for this is to include red, yellow, and green vegetables (and/or fruits) in all your main meals.
In nature, different colored foods usually contain different vitamins and minerals.
For example, you could make a salad of red tomatoes, yellow peppers, and green lettuce.
This would be nutritionally dense.
Add some grilled chicken for protein, a few pumpkin seeds and pine nuts, and an olive oil dressing, and you have a meal that’s packed with vitamins and minerals.
Of course, we don’t live in a perfect world, and it’s not always possible to eat so healthily, and that’s where multivitamin (and multimineral) supplements come in.
Multivitamins 101
Firstly, it’s important to stress that multivitamin and multimineral supplements are not a replacement for a healthy diet.
Instead, they are best used as a safety net to catch any possible nutritional gaps.
Most multivitamins and multimineral supplements contain a broad range of key nutrients, often well in excess of the recommended daily allowance or RDA.
In some instances, these supplements contain natural vitamins and minerals, but some products are made from synthetic vitamins or minerals, not in the same form found in nature.
Because of this, multivitamins are somewhat controversial, and some nutrition experts believe they are unnecessary, stating that you can get all your nutritional needs from “real (unprocessed) whole food sources.”
While that is true, such an opinion fails to take into account that not everyone can eat a perfect balanced diet all the time.
When time is tight, you may have no choice but to grab a candy bar or a takeout burger instead of eating a big plate of veggies.
Also, modern intensive farming methods mean that some crops contain fewer vitamins than they used to and are not as nutritious as many people believe.
As such, taking a multivitamin and multimineral supplement can help offset this decrease in nutritional density.
So, while multivitamins may not be essential, like wearing a seat belt, they are a useful preventative measure.
Using one could help ensure your diet contains all the essential nutrients you need to be healthy.
Of course, if you are going to use a multivitamin supplement, it makes sense to use a good one, so in the next section, you’ll find short reviews of five of the best multivitamins for men over 50.
The Best Multivitamin for Men Over 50
Looking for an easy-to-use nutritional safety blanket?
Not sure which multivitamin is best for men over 50?
Here are five of our favorite products!
#1. Optimum Nutrition – Opti-Man
- Vitamin C, Vitamin D and Zinc Provide Immune Support along with Vitamin E
- High potency multivitamin for active men. 75+ ingredients in 4 performance...
- From our Opti-Men and Opti-Women formulas to Immunity & Probiotic Gummies or...
- We recommend that the product be stored in the original container and kept in a...
- Optimum nutrition also offers a very popular opti women multi vitamin, a high...
Opti-man contains 25 vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial nutrients.
It’s designed to not only plug any nutrient gaps but provide your body with what it needs to function at its manly best, including hormone optimizers and immunity boosters.
This product is well-priced, readily available, and made by one of the leading sports nutrition companies.
#2. NOW ADAM Men’s Multiple Vitamin
- MULTI VITAMIN SPECIALLY FORMULATED FOR MEN: NOW ADAM Superior Men's Multi...
- Product Note: Exposure to heat or sunlight may lead to melting/damage of...
- INCLUDES: This multi-vitamin specially formulated for men features saw palmetto,...
- CLASSIFICATIONS/CERTIFICATIONS: Quality GMP Assured, Kosher (contains gelatin)
- GMP Quality Assured: NPA A-rated GMP certification means that every aspect of...
Now Adam Men’s Multiple Vitamin packs a big punch into a small, easy-to-swallow gel capsule.
This product contains everything a man needs to be healthy and vital.
As well as the usual vitamins and minerals, Now Adam also has testosterone-boosting saw palmetto and plant sterols.
However, the capsules are made from bovine gelatin, so this supplement is unsuitable for vegetarians or vegans.
Nevertheless, Now Adam Men’s Multiple Vitamins are GMP assured and Certified Kosher.
#3. Garden of Life Vitamin Code Men
- MULTIVITAMIN FOR MEN: These comprehensive men's multivitamins are formulated to...
- MULTIVITAMIN WITH PROBIOTICS AND WHOLE FOODS: Our men's vitamins support...
- PROSTATE SUPPLEMENTS FOR MEN: This men's multivitamin and mineral supplement has...
- PROBIOTICS FOR MEN: Featuring raw probiotics L. bulgaricus and L. plantarum and...
- SAY YES TO CLEAN SUPPLEMENTS: Our Whole Food Multivitamin is Third-Party...
There is a reason that Rolls Royce and Porsche cars cost so much…they’re the best you can buy.
While Garden of Life Vitamin Code Men is not cheap, it is one of the best multivitamin supplements available.
Made from whole raw foods and with no binders, fillers, or artificial ingredients, this product is formulated for men in their 50s and even contains compounds to help maintain prostate health.
On the downside, as well as being quite expensive, you need to take four capsules a day, so your supply will soon dwindle.
#4. Nature Made Multi for Him
- Contains no iron
- Specially formulated with 22 key nutrients to support men's health
- During the summer months products may arrive warm but Amazon stores and ships...
If you eat healthily most of the time, you probably don’t need a multivitamin with all the bells and whistles of a more comprehensive product.
Something simpler (and cheaper) will do the job.
This budget-friendly supplement has all the necessary nutrients but only covers the essentials.
But that’s reflected in the very competitive price.
If you are still on the fence about buying a multivitamin supplement for men over 50s, this Multi for Him from Nature Made is cheap enough that you should be able to easily justify the cost.
#5. SmartyPants Men’s Formula Gummies
- Men's Formula with new premium ingredients, all in one delicious serving: Beta...
- 17 essential nutrients: vitamin D3 for immune health, vitamin B12 to support...
- Support Prostate Health With Lycopene In Mens Daily Multivitamin Form
- For adult men, take six (6) gummies daily with or without food.
- Non-GMO. Free of milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nut allergens, fish allergens,...
Not everyone likes taking tablets, and that includes older men in their 50s and beyond!
The good news is there is another way to get your dose of multivitamins and minerals – nutrient-infused gummies.
Gummy vitamins aka Gummies are popular with kids, and adults like them too.
After all, they taste like candy, but they’re good for you.
SmartyPants Men’s Formula gummies contain a vast range of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, CoQ10, essential oils, and nutrients to support prostate and heart health.
They taste good too!
The only real downside to this product is it’s only available in one-month bottles, so you’ll need to buy it more often than other products.
The Best Multivitamin for Men Over 50 – Wrapping Up
As they say in the military, you should hope for the best but plan for the worst.
While your diet SHOULD provide all the essential vitamins and minerals you need to be healthy, even the most health-conscious man probably doesn’t eat perfectly all the time.
That’s where vitamin supplementation comes into play.
Taking a daily multivitamin ensures you get all the nutrients you need, even when you can’t stick to a healthy diet.
Of course, you should endeavor to eat plenty of fruit, vegetables, and whole foods, but for those times you can’t, there are always multivitamin and multimineral supplements.
What’s Next
A great multivitamin is not all you need for body transformation, yes, even over 50.
You need to find some powerful activities to transform from a bowl of jello to a fitter version of yourself, and sometimes unrecognizable to others!
One of the most effective is weight training.
However, a 50+-year-old body is not as resilient as it used to be, as I am sure you know!
Therefore, use the strategies in this article: Strength Training for Men Over 50 + Full-Body Workout to maintain and increase your muscle mass and strength, while aligning your training to your senior status!
Rich is a NASM-CPT (Certified Personal Trainer),