Over the last couple of decades, there’s been a notable shift in men’s approach to supplements. Gone are the days when a bog standard multivitamin was the only health support men would consider. Instead, a growing interest in wellness, and the popularity of experts like neuroscientist Andrew Huberman, or biohackers such as Dave Asprey, has influenced millions to try men's vitamin supplements to support everything from better sleep, to hormonal balance, and mental wellbeing.
While the number of men taking supplements hasn't caught up with women just yet – a 2023 US study showed 63.8% of the female population were using supplements, compared to 50.8% of men – the market for men's vitamins is HUGE! Valued at $75 billion in 2024 and projected to grow by 10% every year until 2030.
But you don't need to take them all! And if you bought everything that some wellness gurus recommend, you'd soon be well out of pocket and wouldn't necessarily feel any better… Not all supplements are right for everyone, so how do you know which ones to bother with?
Are there any must-have men's vitamin supplements?
While there's no such thing as a 'one size fits all' approach when it comes to your health, there are some nutrients that could benefit most men, and guess what? We're sharing them in this handy guide to men's vitamin supplements.
We've even done the hard work for you by creating a Men's Vitamin Patch category, where you can browse all the patches we recommend for men. Ideal if you don't have time to read the whole blog and would rather explore the men's supplements we offer yourself.
Supplement newbie? A great place to start is our Daily Essentials Bundle, which contains a month's supply of vitamin D, Omega-3, Magnesium, and a Multivitamin. All considered to be non-negotiables by many health experts, whether you're male or female. This includes Dr. Andrew Huberman, the renowned neuroscientist we've already mentioned who has over 14 million followers on his Instagram and YouTube accounts – so he must be doing something right!
His sensible, science-backed advice champions supplementation alongside consistent sleep, regular exercise, and balanced nutrition – an approach we heartily agree with. Here are the some of the supplements experts like Huberman recommend trying as part of your daily routine and the benefits they could bring:
Vitamin D:
Essential for bone health and immune function in both sexes, vitamin D is particularly important for men's hormonal balance, and getting the optimal amount is associated with healthy testosterone levels. Low vitamin D has been linked with reduced testosterone and can trigger a drop in energy and libido levels, and even reduce muscle mass in some men. Making vitamin D a most definite must-have on our men's vitamin supplements list. Don't want to commit to a whole bundle just yet? The Vitamin D3/Calcium patch is here.
Omega-3:
Omega-3 is a must for anyone because of the powerful pros it offers for eye, skin, and joint health, and the boost it can provide for your memory and cognitive function. But it's an especially important one of our men's vitamin supplements too, because it can help with male reproductive health. Studies have shown that omega-3 supplementation can increase semen volume and sperm count, and improve testicular function – so if you're TTC, it's a must.
Plus – Omega-3 is an anti-inflammatory powerhouse and can help to relieve symptoms of chronic conditions like arthritis, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease – something men are at greater risk of developing compared to women, especially in mid-life. Grab the Omega-3 Plus patch here.
Magnesium:
As well as playing a key role in nerve and muscle function, and energy production, magnesium is also one of the go-to men's vitamin supplements for stress relief and better sleep. While men and women are at equal risk of developing stress, many men struggle to seek help when it feels like everything is getting on top of them. A magnesium supplement can help mitigate the effects of stress by increasing GABA levels in the brain, which reduces feelings of anxiety and overwhelm.
This miracle mineral is also ace at improving sleep – something that can also suffer when life gets a bit much. Magnesium threonate in particular has been shown to increase sleep duration and shorten the time it takes to fall back to sleep if you wake at night. Huberman recommends magnesium for a decent night's snooze because it won't create a dependency like some prescription and over-the-counter sleep aids do. Our Tri Mag Complex patch contains 3 of the most bio-available types of magnesium, including threonate.
Or, if you're feeling particularly stressed out, give the MagnaCalm patch a whirl, which contains magnesium, plus tons of other natural stress relieving ingredients to promote relaxation and help to ease tension.
Multivitamin:
In an ideal world, you'd get all your nutrients from diet alone, however, thanks to issues like soil erosion and pesticide use, many types of fruit and veg don't contain the same nutrients they once did (read our blog Why Fruit & Veg is Less Nutritious than it used to be to find out more). Plus, it's estimated that less than 1% of the population meets current dietary guidelines on eating everything you need to provide all your essential vitamins and minerals.
So everyone can benefit from taking a multivitamin, like our Multivitamin Plus patch, but there are some specific men's vitamin supplements that women don't need as much of: particularly zinc. Men typically need more than women because it's essential for testosterone production, and prostate health.
Men also need extra selenium to support sperm production, and more B vitamins, because these are essential for both red blood cell formation and to support muscle function – and men have a larger muscle mass than women, by around 36% on average.
It's also worth remembering that men generally require less iron than women, so if you want to avoid overdoing it, we offer a Multivitamin patch without iron, grab yours here.
Already got those essentials on your supplement shopping list and more interested in boosting your performance in the gym or the boardroom? Our patches can help with this too!
Here are the men's vitamin supplements we recommend for increasing physical and mental productivity:
Struggling with procrastination? While your morning coffee can be great for kickstarting cognition, a mistimed afternoon Americano could disrupt your sleep and make you feel jittery. But there are some alternatives to get your brain back on track, and our Focus Plus patch contains most of them! Including B vitamins, which we've already mentioned are men's vitamin supplements must-have, to boost your mood and mental clarity. As well as brain-function friendly vitamins A, C, and D, and omega 3 fatty acids.
Plus, some amazing nutrients called nootropics. Renowned for boosting cognitive functions, such as attention, memory, and wakefulness, including Lion's Mane mushroom, L-theanine, and Acetyl-L-carnitine.
More worried about your physical performance? Whether you're training for a big race, or want to up your gains in the gym, there are plenty of men's vitamin supplements that could help (and most of them are included in our Daily Essentials bundle – just saying!). Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for cardiovascular health and are also ace at helping to reduce inflammation and pain – making them ideal for aiding healing if you've picked up an injury. You'll also need decent levels of vitamin D for bone health, and magnesium to ensure your nerve function is tip-top and to help prevent cramps.
Want to take things up a notch? Add our Ultimate Trainer patch into the mix, which contains goodies such as amino acids glutamine, leucine, and hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate, all shown to help promote muscle growth and recovery and boost aerobic performance. New PB here you come!
