Best supplements for men: what you need at 30, over 40 and over 50, and what's just marketing

Best supplements for men: the short list

If you’re healthy and eat reasonably well, you need very little from a bottle. The list is short:

• vitamin D in autumn and winter;
• zinc, if you eat little meat or seafood;
• omega-3, if you have oily fish less than once a week;
• B12 over 50, on a vegan diet or if you take metformin;
• creatine – not a vitamin, but one of the few sports supplements with good evidence.

Most of the rest in men’s formulas is marketing: herbs for testosterone, prostate extracts, and high doses of zinc and selenium.

If you’re buying for a particular goal, check what’s known first:

Vitamin D: the one near-universal tip

From October to early March, UK sunlight isn’t strong enough for your skin to make enough vitamin D. The NHS advises 10 mcg (400 IU) a day for all adults in that season, and all year if you have dark skin, rarely go outside or usually cover your skin. Don’t take more than 100 mcg (4,000 IU) a day. Our vitamin D3 guide covers forms and doses.

Zinc for men: what it does and doesn’t do

Zinc is needed for sperm and testosterone production, immunity and wound healing. Men need 9.5 mg a day according to the NHS (11 mg under US guidance). Oysters, red meat, poultry and seafood are the richest sources.

The “zinc for testosterone” idea comes from the fact that deficiency affects both testosterone and sperm. But if you already get enough, extra zinc doesn’t turn into hormones: there’s no convincing evidence that supplements raise testosterone in men who aren’t deficient.

What matters about the dose:

• the NHS advises no more than 25 mg of zinc a day from supplements unless your doctor says otherwise;
• many bottles on iHerb contain 30–50 mg per capsule, which is a lot for daily use;
• months of high-dose zinc push out copper and can lead to anaemia.

Our guide to the best form of zinc and dose has the details.

Omega-3 if you don’t eat fish

EFSA considers 250 mg of EPA+DHA a day adequate for adults – roughly two portions of oily fish a week. If you eat fish less often, a supplement with 250–500 mg of EPA+DHA is sensible. Worries that omega-3 causes prostate cancer haven’t held up: NIH ODS says there’s no consistent link. Very high doses (about 4 g a day) slightly raised the risk of atrial fibrillation in large trials of people with heart disease. See how to choose fish oil.

Supplements for men over 50: B12

B12 becomes harder to absorb with age. NIH ODS says atrophic gastritis, which cuts B12 absorption, affects 8–9% of people over 65. Metformin and heartburn medicines (omeprazole and other proton pump inhibitors) also lower B12 levels.

What to do over 50:

• ask your GP for a B12 test if you’ve taken metformin or heartburn tablets for years;
• choose fortified foods or a supplement if your level is low or you’re vegan;
• don’t worry about high-dose tablets: only about 2% of a 500 mcg dose is absorbed, and B12 has no upper limit.

More in our guide to vitamin B12.

Creatine for training

Creatine monohydrate is one of the few sports supplements with solid evidence. NIH ODS says it helps with repeated short bursts of high-intensity effort: sprinting, weightlifting and team sports. It does little for endurance sports such as distance running.

Two ways to take it, with the same end result:

• with loading: about 0.3 g per kg of body weight a day (around 20 g, split into four doses) for 5–7 days, then 3–5 g a day;
• without loading: 3–5 g a day from the start; your muscles are saturated within 3–4 weeks.

Expect some weight gain from water held in the muscles. Your body turns creatine into creatinine, which the kidneys clear, so tell your doctor you take it before a creatinine blood test. If you have kidney disease, check with your doctor first. Our creatine monohydrate guide goes into dosing.

Why men shouldn’t take iron just in case

Men need 8.7 mg of iron a day, and a normal diet with meat, beans and grains covers it. The body has no way of getting rid of extra iron.

Haemochromatosis is the specific risk. It’s an inherited condition in which iron builds up over years and damages the liver, joints, pancreas and heart. The NHS says it mainly affects people of white northern European background and is especially common in Ireland, Scotland and Wales; symptoms usually start between 30 and 60. NIH ODS says about 1 in 10 white people carry the most common gene variant. People with haemochromatosis are advised to avoid iron and vitamin C supplements.

So:

• choose an iron-free multivitamin for men;
• take iron only for a deficiency confirmed by a ferritin test;
• if haemochromatosis runs in your family, tell your GP and ask about testing.

Prostate, testosterone and men’s formulas: what’s unproven

• Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens). A 2023 Cochrane review (27 studies, 4,656 men) found no meaningful difference from placebo for enlarged-prostate symptoms or quality of life. NICE says not to offer herbal treatments for these symptoms.
• Selenium. In the SELECT trial (35,533 men over 50), 200 mcg of selenium a day didn’t lower prostate cancer risk. Europe’s upper limit is 255 mcg a day, and one Brazil nut contains 68–91 mcg.
• Vitamin E. In the same trial, 400 IU (180 mg) of synthetic vitamin E a day raised prostate cancer risk by 17%.
• Tribulus and DHEA for testosterone. NIH ODS says tribulus had no effect on strength, lean mass or sex hormones, and there’s no evidence that DHEA raises testosterone or strength in men.

If you’re peeing more often, have a weak stream or erection problems, see your GP rather than buying a formula. These symptoms can point to conditions that need treatment.

Interactions and when to see a GP

• Tetracycline and fluoroquinolone antibiotics are absorbed less well next to zinc and calcium. Take the antibiotic 2 hours before minerals or 4–6 hours after.
• On warfarin or another anticoagulant, talk to your doctor about high-dose fish oil and anything with vitamin K.
• With kidney disease, take creatine, magnesium and high-dose vitamin D only on medical advice.
• Keep levothyroxine at least 4 hours apart from iron and calcium.

How to choose on iHerb

1. Start with the short list: vitamin D, then whatever your diet lacks.
2. Pick up the men’s multivitamin and find the Iron, Zinc, Selenium and Vitamin E lines on the Supplement Facts panel. Check for no iron, no more than 15 mg zinc, no more than 100 mcg selenium, no mega-dose vitamin E.
3. Avoid “proprietary blends” of testosterone herbs: you can’t tell the dose of each ingredient.
4. For creatine, choose plain monohydrate and compare the price per 5 g.
5. Prefer products with independent quality testing (USP, NSF or similar marks).

Our supplement label guide explains every line of a Supplement Facts panel.