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Best Daily Multivitamin/Supplement for Men?

I'm pretty health-conscious but I have to admit, I've never been a big multivitamin or supplement guy. That's probably because I hate the hassle of taking pills every day.:rolleyes: Anyway, I'm stepping up my game. I'm looking for a good, reasonably-priced daily supplement or multivitamin. I'm mostly an organic eater but I'll examine all suggestions. I'm 25 and have no health issues, if that makes a difference. Thanks.
 
If you're already eating a good diet and eating organic veggies and other good things, in my view there's not good evidence that taking vitamins will help. In fact, many of the studies (like the infamous beta-carotene study) have shown that some of the good things taken in isolation don't do the good things they're supposed to do when they appear in food.

I'm not trying to dissuade you there; what I would say, however, is that there is loads of evidence and more coming in almost daily of the importance of omega-3's in your diet. No matter what else you take, make sure you take an Omega 3 supplement, and take more than the bottle recommends. Those recommendations are not based on a optimal dose, rather a dose that was used in a study that showed benefits. Here's a god collection of info from a blog that is written by a professor at Cal:

http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/category/nutrition/omega-3/

Sorry, I try not to get preachy, but this is something I have very strong opinions about.
 
If you're already eating a good diet and eating organic veggies and other good things, in my view there's not good evidence that taking vitamins will help. In fact, many of the studies (like the infamous beta-carotene study) have shown that some of the good things taken in isolation don't do the good things they're supposed to do when they appear in food.

I'm not trying to dissuade you there; what I would say, however, is that there is loads of evidence and more coming in almost daily of the importance of omega-3's in your diet. No matter what else you take, make sure you take an Omega 3 supplement, and take more than the bottle recommends. Those recommendations are not based on a optimal dose, rather a dose that was used in a study that showed benefits. Here's a god collection of info from a blog that is written by a professor at Cal:

http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/category/nutrition/omega-3/

Sorry, I try not to get preachy, but this is something I have very strong opinions about.

No offense taken. I believe in taking specific supplements because without going into too much detail, they've helped keep my dad alive and helped immeasurably with my adolescent acne. I don't say they're all good but some have positive effects.

I already take organic Omega-3 oil with my salads, yogurt, energy drinks, and other cold meals.
 
Here's my opinion - after reading everything I could find on the subject, your best bet for a multivitamin is to get the cheapest thing you can buy that says USP on the bottle. USP basically means that it contains what it says in the listed amounts, and that it will dissolve in your stomach and not pass right through you.

I take the Equate One Daily, available at Wal-Mart. I also take mineral supplements - specifically a calcium/magnesium/zinc tablet. The more calcium and magnesium you can get, the better IMHO. Lots of good books and info on this.

Men's Health recommends Centrum Silver for all men, because it doesn't have extra iron in it.

Drink lots of water - lots. At least a liter and a half of plain water.

Salt is not bad for you.

Just my thoughts, YMMV and all that.

Clay
 
I take Centrum Silver and calcium every day. I can't say if it's the best, but it's what my doctor recommended. I also try to take a flax seed oil capsule when I remember.
 
I can't say if it's the best, but I alternate between Centrum (1/day) and VItamin Shoppe "Ultimate Man" (dosed at 2/day). The only sorta downside to the Vit. Shoppe one is that it's loaded with B complex (a good thing) but b/c of that, turns your urine neon yellow. I also take fish oils and green tea extract daily.

As to the above, my doc has said that men should not take anything with added iron unless specifically directed to do so. Men don't usually have a prob with low iron. (edit: but can have probs with too much iron: thalacemia, hemochromatosis, etc. just to name two).

Recent medical recommendations indicate that EVERYone should be taking at least a multi-vit daily. Doubly so if you're athletic or have a poor diet.

EDIT: I also take daily calcium + D (cal-mag + D) supplements as I get very little from my diet since I am lactose/dairy intolerant.
 
There is none. If you eat a nice variety of fruits and veggies, I don't see a reason to supplement with a multi-vitamin. And if you know you are lacking something(I personally take a daily zinc because you don't get a lot of it anywhere)take the individual supplement.

It doesn't matter what the label says as it really comes down to bioavailability. How much of that pill do you really think your body can fully metabolize?
 
I've been using A. Vogel's vitality vitamin complex. Contains all sorts of fruit extracts, soy, grain and fish oils to provide natural vitamins. I feel good about it.
 
There is none. If you eat a nice variety of fruits and veggies, I don't see a reason to supplement with a multi-vitamin. And if you know you are lacking something(I personally take a daily zinc because you don't get a lot of it anywhere)take the individual supplement.

It doesn't matter what the label says as it really comes down to bioavailability. How much of that pill do you really think your body can fully metabolize?

I take a few individual supplements right now. As you said, bioavailability is key. Just because the bottle says it has these nutrients doesn't mean your body will actually respond during physiological activity. I've tried to drink a shot of wheatgrass juice daily and that probably is more beneficial than multivitamins anyway.

Besides, my bigger concern is the flu, which is just beating me into submission.:frown:
 
I take the Costco multi-vitamin. It appears to be the same as Centrum for a lot less $.

COSTCO has a great vitamin area and their Kirkland brand is top notch. Though, as they say, Americans have the most expensive urine on earth. We are a vitamin gobbling society and most vitamins will be excreted in the urine.
 
I have taken supplements from the following company from New Zealand: http://www.xtend-life.com, specifically Total Balance Men's Plus (I am 26 btw.) While some of their products can be on the expensive side, I find the people who run the company really know what they are talking about and use the finest ingredients for all their products. They also claim to have a superior delivery system for maximum efficacy.

I am on the fence when it comes to supplements/multivitamins-- I don't 'feel' any different when taking them and I have a good diet, so I cannot justify paying for vitamins sometimes.
 
i don't take any ... i just pay attention to what i eat every day ... including trying to make sure i get some fish in each day for it's contents ... and uncooked veggies ... and fresh fruits ... well you get the picture

about the best way to see 'what' you need .. is get some blood work done .. and see what your body is lacking ...
 
When I go in for my physical, I take in a little brown bag with all the script and OTC stuff I ingest. My doctor checks them out and we talk about it. Things change over time and based on his expert interpretation of trends, etc., I make corresponding changes. I mention that in case you want to try a similar approach. E.g., you could collect your favorite ideas here and present them for your doctor's opinion.

As for a multivitamin, he noted that that my diet was healthy and it was probably unneeded. However, he said that if I wanted, I could just buy the cheapest available multi and take that (also noting that it would probably just pass through me unused).

BTW, it looks like you are conscientious about what you eat. If you like to read, you might want to check out the SuperFoods book, which I liked because it seemed to be well-founded material and talks about the things people, in general, should eat and why.
 
I take a multi I buy at Trader Joe's along with an Omega 3 supplement. My nutritionist recommends about 1500 mgs daily of the 2 active ingredients in the Omega 3 tabs.

-Scott
 
One Kirkland Multi

One 600 mg calcium supplement

One fish oil twice a day.

One Bloody Mary (Heavy on the Mary) on Sunday before church :001_rolle.

JD
 
Omega-3 is probably the most essential, if for no other reason than the ridiculous infusion of corn-based products into the American diet has drastically disrupted the proper Omega-6:Omega-3 ratio.

Multivitamins can be quite helpful, although their utility is proportional to the type of diet one consumes and the lifestyle one leads. I would highly recommend men-specific multis, as they are almost universally iron-free, and most contain extracts of lycopene and saw palmetto known to help with prostate health.

As you're in your mid-twenties, your testosterone levels will begin to decline, with the rate of decline increasing as you ease into your thirties. If you lead a relatively active lifestyle, particularly one that includes weight training, your levels should stay within a good range as a result. If you find yourself lacking in certain testosterone-related areas though (energy, strength, libido, etc.), supplementing with Tribulus has been known to help increase test. levels. The science is a bit lacking as far as side effects goes, so if you're one of those who is cautious about "natural" supplements, that's worth keeping in mind.
 
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