Men's Multivitamins

Best multivitamin for men

Experts say there's very little difference in vitamin needs between men and women, with a couple of notable exceptions. Health professionals say that men generally don't need more than 8 mg of iron a day, an amount that is easy to get from diet alone. However, premenopausal women often need iron because they lose it monthly during their menstruation cycle. Men's and women's multivitamin formulas often differ in iron content. The GNC Mega Men Multivitamin (*Est. $26 for 180 tablets) contains no iron and has 100 percent or more of most recommend nutrients in a two-tablet serving. The GNC Mega Men also contains an "antioxidant fruit and vegetable blend," containing broccoli, spinach, apple, kale and other fruit powders, but there's no evidence that this does you any good -- although it doesn't hurt. The GNC Mega Men multivitamin contains fish ingredients, so it's not suitable for some vegetarians or vegans.

The GNC Mega Men multivitamin passes ConsumerLab.com's latest test, with the caveat that it contains more than the upper tolerable level for niacin (vitamin B3). ConsumerLab.com says that excess niacin isn't harmful at these levels, although it may cause skin flushing. In fact, 24 out of the 41 adult vitamins they tested contain more niacin than stated on the label. The GNC Mega Men multi also gets above-average ratings in nearly 50 user reviews at Drugstore.com. The vast majority of users have a positive opinion of this multivitamin, but some say they are too large to swallow and too expensive.

One-A-Day Men's Health Formula (*Est. $22 for 250 tablets) also contains no iron, and it has 150 percent of the DV of selenium, which Bayer has touted as improving health. However, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) announced in June 2009 that it was planning to sue Bayer over the prostate benefits of One-A-Day Men's Health Formula. CSPI says there is no evidence to support a link between selenium and prostate cancer prevention. A long-term study of selenium and vitamin E, which concluded last year, shows that these nutrients do not prevent prostate cancer. In fact, the study ended early because researchers were concerned that the high doses of selenium were leading to diabetes in study participants.

Rainbow Light Men's One Multivitamin (*Est. $17 for 90 tablets) says it's the "number one selling natural men's multivitamin," but it contains more than the DV for several nutrients. These include 1,667 percent DV of vitamin B1, 1,471 percent DV of vitamin B2 and 1,250 percent DV of vitamin B6. Because cereals and breads are fortified with B vitamins, experts say there's no reason to take more than the DV in a multivitamin, although higher levels of B vitamins (within reason) won't hurt you. We think that unless your diet is severely lacking, there's no reason to choose the higher-priced Rainbow Light over the multivitamins mentioned above unless you prefer to buy natural products. Rainbow Light Men's One is free of artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners and preservatives.

Now Foods Adam Superior Men's Multiple Vitamin (*Est. $17 for 120 tablets) also has some very high B-vitamin levels including 1,250 percent DV of vitamin B6, 1,670 percent DV of vitamin B1, 1,471 percent DV of vitamin B2, and 4,167 percent of vitamin B12. It also fails ConsumerLab.com's testing because it's above the UL for niacin and contains far more folic acid than claimed on the label. The multivitamin contains 2,070 mcg of folic acid, which is above the tolerable upper level of 1,000 mcg per day. On the plus side, the Now Adam Men's Multivitamin contains no animal products, so it's suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

Optimum Nutrition's Opti-Men (*Est. $18.50 for 180 tablets) has clever marketing and website, but it fails Consumer Lab's tests. Like the Now Foods Adam and Rainbow Light men's multivitamins, Opti-Men has very high levels of B vitamins -- 5,000 percent DV of thiamin, 4,410 percent DV of riboflavin and 2,500 percent DV of vitamin B6. Experts say there's no reason to take mega-doses of these vitamins. In addition, ConsumerLab.com finds 1.62 mcg of lead in a daily dose of Opti-Men multivitamins. ConsumerLab.com says this amount of lead is probably not harmful, but they recommend avoiding any unnecessary lead exposure.