There’s a lot of debate over whether taking a multivitamin provides any benefit for health or if you should get your nutrients from whole-food sources. Although there’s no clear consensus, the fact of the matter is that the majority of people are deficient in one (but usually more) vitamin or mineral.
A daily vegan multivitamin offers all of the essential nutrients your body needs to perform optimally, which can serve to bolster a good diet.
But for men specifically, there are a few key nutrients that could be missing from the diet that are of the utmost importance—and those can be obtained from a good whole food multivitamin.
Right now, we’re covering the reasons why you should be taking a men’s multivitamin and giving you our top pick for the best vegan multivitamin for men.
Best Men’s Vegan Multivitamin for 2024: Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi for Men
Are you thinking that NutriGenesis Multi is just another vitamin and mineral supplement? You’re about to have your mind blown because there’s nothing ordinary about this one.
Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi for Men is a revolutionary multivitamin supplement that breaks through the expectations of most multivitamins. Supplying 100% DV of 17+ essential vitamins and minerals, Multi is designed for peak human performance, tailored specifically to the needs of men.
You’re getting balanced doses calibrated to restore nutrient levels for optimal performance. It’s also complexed with natural cofactors like probiotics, fiber, enzymes, and antioxidants to enhance nutrient bioavailability and health-supportive activity.
NutriGenesis Multi is the cleanest, safest, and most effective essential vegan multivitamin supplement on the market.
Key benefits
- Foundational nutritional support for healthy whole-body biological performance
- Supports daily vitality and long-range overall health
- Customized for men with gender-specific dosages and hormonal support
- Complexed with absorption-enhancing cofactors
- Free of synthetic or isolated nutrients
- Nutrition technology innovation: NutriGenesis® vitamins and minerals complexed with cofactors to boost absorption and bioactivity
- Probiotic-cultivated NutriGenesis® + prebiotic-infused NutriCaps® for digestive comfort
- Supplies at least 100% DV of 17+ essential vitamins and minerals
Why Do We Need Multivitamins?
Stress
Whether it’s physical, mental, or emotional stress, it does a fair bit of damage on the body if not managed properly—especially for nutrient stores. This is why when we’re feeling extra-stressed, we often feel depleted and low on energy.The damaging effects of stress on the body are often attributed to excess or chronic levels of stress hormones like cortisol 1. Acute elevation or excessive production can have serious consequences for all body organs and long-term can lead to tissue destruction.
On top of that, stress exposure and the subsequent increase in cortisol production can result in increased inflammatory markers, oxidative stress, mitochondrial disruptions, and thyroid and sex hormone dysfunction. However, there’s also a fair bit of evidence suggesting that stress-associated nutrient depletion can also contribute to the damaging effects of stress on the body.
Vitamins, minerals, proteins, and fatty acids are all essential for enzyme activity, energy production, immune health, hormone synthesis, tissue growth and repair, and several other biological processes. Without sufficient nutrient stores, body processes start to become dysfunctional.Five nutrients are hit especially hard by stress and should be essential in all vegan multivitamins:
- Iron
- Magnesium
- B vitamins
- Vitamin C
- Calcium
Exercise
Although exercise is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle, excessive exercise can do a lot of damage to the body.
As we mentioned with stress, exercise stresses metabolic pathways that depend on certain B vitamins, especially thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), and vitamin B6 3. Because of this, the requirements for these vitamins increases in athletes and highly active people.
There are a few ways in which exercise may increase nutrient depletion:
- Decreased absorption
- Increased turnover, metabolism, or loss
- Biochemical adaptation that increases demand
- Increase in mitochondrial enzymes that require specific nutrients
- Increased requirements due to tissue maintenance and repair
There’s also a good amount of research indicating exercise can deplete other nutrients such as copper, chromium, iodine, iron, magnesium, potassium, sodium, and zinc 4.
So, if you’re someone who exercises daily, getting those nutrients back into your system via nutritional supplements is key for optimal health and performance.
Diet
It would be nice to think that we could obtain everything we need from following a healthy, balanced diet.
But the fact of that matter is that it’s just not realistic. Not only is the food we consume today less nutrient-dense than it was 50 years ago due to environmental contamination and nutrient-depleted soil, but we also tend to favor quick and accessible over organic whole foods and healthy.
The Standard American Diet (SAD) is named so for a reason—it’s what the majority of people consume daily. It’s characterized by a high intake of refined carbohydrates, sugar, unhealthy fats, and being low in nutrients, so is it any wonder why we’re deficient?
And when you combine a poor diet with a sedentary lifestyle, you’re greatly increasing the risk of obesity and diet-related chronic diseases like CVD, hypertension, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and several types of cancer 5.
On top of that, you can add the people who choose to exclude specific foods from the diet—be it animal products, carbs, vegetables, or what have you—and you’re further reducing your intake of nutrients.
People who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet are at a high risk of being deficient in certain nutrients like vitamin B12, heme iron, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, and zinc 6.
Benefits Of A Multivitamin For Men
With all of that said, even with the cleanest and most balanced diet, there’s still room for a good multivitamin for men. Here’s why.
Performance and energy
Your body’s energy production pathways depend on sufficient levels of several key vitamins and minerals.
The pathways of nutrient degradation require vitamins and minerals as cofactors, and a deficiency of any single nutrient can interfere with conversion, thereby reducing energy production.
For example, the B vitamins all play important roles in the conversion of food to energy; vitamin C and vitamin D are imperative for proper immune function.
Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that protects cells against free radical damage, iron is critical to the formation of red blood cells that transport oxygen throughout the body; and magnesium is required as a co-factor for ATP production.
All of the essential vitamins and minerals work synergistically to support a healthy metabolism and every system in the body to help you perform optimally.
That’s why when you’re deficient, you’ll notice symptoms like fatigue, muscle weakness, increased susceptibility to illness, GI disturbances, pain, poor cognitive function, and more.
Heart health
Maintaining good heart health is largely a combination of proper diet and healthy lifestyle choices.
That means getting regular physical activity, reducing stress, sleeping enough, and yes, consuming a nutrient-dense diet that limits processed, refined, and nutrient-void foods as well as unhealthy fats.
When it comes to research, the evidence is mixed. A 2012 study conducted for more than a decade found that daily multivitamin supplementation did not reduce the risk of cardiovascular events, myocardial infarction, stroke, and CVD mortality 7.
On the other hand, a long-term prospective study on multivitamin use (≥20 years) showed that supplementation can help to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events 8.
Although there’s no clear consensus, when used in conjunction with good lifestyle practices, taking vegan vitamin and mineral supplements certainly can’t hurt.
Hormonal support
Hormonal imbalances, especially as you start to age, become more and more prevalent.
Your body doesn’t produce things like growth hormone and testosterone at the same rate. But even if you’re younger, many of the factors we talked about earlier can impair nutrient status, which has a downstream effect on hormone production.
To maintain hormonal balance, the body requires several key nutrients—vitamin D, zinc, selenium, and magnesium among others. While these are widely available through diet, they’re also some of the most deficient nutrients of the bunch among the general population. And you need them to perform.
For example, a 2011 study found that compared to baseline values, there was a significant increase in levels of total testosterone, bioactive testosterone, and free testosterone in people supplementing with vitamin D 9.
Similarly, people who are deficient in zinc tend to have lower testosterone levels compared to men with normal serum zinc concentrations 10.
And a reminder - testosterone isn’t just needed for muscle growth. It plays a major role in bone health, body fat composition, red blood cell production, mood, energy, and more.
Replenish nutrient stores (and prevent deficiency)
All of the factors we talked about above are key drivers for nutrient depletion and we'll all experience them to some degree---it's unavoidable.
We exercise to be healthy; we stress because stress is a natural part of life, and we don’t always eat 100% on point. It’s part of being human but you can combat the potential risks of suboptimal lifestyle choices by ensuring you’re taking a men’s daily vegan multivitamin.
Although a multivitamin should never replace a healthy diet and good lifestyle choices, having it in your corner is kind of like having a crutch to fall back on when you’re maybe a little extra-stressed, didn’t sleep well, or fell off track with your diet.
It ensures your nutrient stores are replenished to facilitate the healthy function of all body systems.
Essentials For Men
Although several vitamins and minerals are essential for health, there are five major ones for men that we’re going to shine the spotlight on:
Vitamin D3
Vitamin D is arguably one of the most important nutrients in the body and despite how plentiful it is in food and sunshine, vitamin D deficiency is one of the most common nutrient deficiencies there is.
For men specifically, vitamin D3 plays a big role in everything from bone health, fertility, and mood to cognitive function, immune system health, and athletic performance.
For example, vitamin D is involved in muscle growth and development and regulating muscle contractility, and a deficiency of vitamin D3 has been linked to decreased muscle size and strength 11. There’s also the potential for vitamin D to improve sperm motility and erectile function 12, 13.
Selenium
Selenium probably isn’t a nutrient you pay much attention to, but it’s a big component of men’s health.
One of the major functions of selenium is as an antioxidant—six selenium-containing glutathione peroxidases make up the major antioxidant defense system that neutralizes free radicals and prevents damage to cellular DNA 14.
On top of that, selenium is also critical for sperm formation. Spermatogenesis and male fertility, in general, depend on GPx4 and selenoprotein P (SEPP1), which help to protect immature sperm against oxidative stress. A selenium deficiency or poor bioavailability can result in impaired sperm maturation 15.
Zinc
Zinc is a biggie for men. As the second most abundant trace mineral in the human body, zinc is heavily involved in several aspects of good health such as immune function, mood, antioxidant defenses, cognitive health, collagen and DNA production, and hormonal health and fertility.
A zinc deficiency can lead to a host of issues, including decreased nerve conduction, mental lethargy, reduced thyroid function, poor wound healing, decreased reproductive function, infertility, higher estrogen levels (and lower testosterone), and more 16.
Vitamin B12 + folate
For any man following a plant-based diet, vitamin B12 and folate are probably two of the most common nutrient deficiencies as they’re widely distributed in most animal products.
Both of these B vitamins are important for several biological processes, including nervous system function, mood, cognitive function, heart health, and energy metabolism.
B12 is especially important for the nervous system, as it’s required for proper development and myelination of the central nervous system, as well as supporting neurotransmitter synthesis 17. And along with folate, B12 also plays a major role in the conversion of homocysteine the methionine.
Accumulation of homocysteine due to nutrient insufficiency is a major risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases. Elevated levels of homocysteine can be toxic to neurons and are linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke 18.
On top of that, B12 and folate are also required for the normal growth and development of red blood cells, which supply tissues with oxygen and nutrients.
Iron
Iron is another common nutrient deficiency among plant-based eaters that plays a major role in the production of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying component of red blood cells.
A deficiency of heme iron can result in iron-deficiency anemia, whereby red blood cell count is low and subsequently so is the oxygen-carrying capacity of red blood cells.
As a result, tissues aren’t properly oxygenated and fatigue starts to set it. But iron is also a component of myoglobin, another oxygen-transporting molecule that supports healthy muscles and connective tissue.
The NutriGenesis Multi Difference
There’s no shortage of men’s dietary supplements on the market that offer up your daily dose of vitamins and minerals.
But the problem with most conventional vitamin and mineral supplements is that you never know what you’re getting. Are you getting 100% DV of all the essentials? Are you getting them in the most bioavailable form? Are you absorbing what you’re supplementing?
For your body to use the nutrients you’re supplementing, it has to be able to absorb them. And nothing compares to NutriGenesis Multi for that.
Here’s why.
Top-quality
A run-of-the-mill multivitamin may supply your daily dose of essential nutrients, but it’s not going to compare to NutriGenesis Multi—it’s like nothing you’ve seen before.
Multi is upheld by superior quality standards to bring you unparalleled health and performance results. With cutting-edge manufacturing techniques, third-party validation, and top-quality nutrients, NutriGenesis Multi offers the highest potency, tolerability, absorption, and efficacy to deliver the cleanest and safest vegan multivitamin.
Purity
When investing in a vegan multivitamin, you want to make sure it’s good. If you look at most conventional dietary supplements, there are probably several ingredients on the label that you don’t recognize and/or can’t pronounce.
If that’s the case, leave it behind. Dodgy ingredients aren’t doing any favors for your health. With NutriGenesis Multi, what’s on the label are the only ingredients in the supplement.
Third-party testing on all Performance Lab products provides proof of nutritional purity, potency, and quality, so you can rest assured that everything in the bottle matches what’s on the label.
Multi is always non-GMO, soy-free, non-irradiated, 100% certified gluten-free, and free of allergens, synthetic additives, artificial colors, and preservatives. Plus, there’s no risk of filler ingredients to bulk up the product or poor-quality delivery methods.
You’re getting complete nutrition packed into certified vegan-friendly NutriCaps—100% plant-based capsules made from fermented tapioca infused with prebiotics for easy, comfortable, and complete absorption.
Ideal forms
Why take a vegan multivitamin if your body can’t absorb what’s in it?
Undesirable or synthetic nutrient forms are unfortunately common in many nutrition supplements—but not here.
NutriGenesis technology is an innovative and ultramodern technology supplying nature-identical nutrients complexed with natural cofactors to enhance absorption and bioactivity. It’s unmatched ingredient quality that promotes peak performance across all body systems.
References
- Lopresti AL. The Effects of Psychological and Environmental Stress on Micronutrient Concentrations in the Body: A Review of the Evidence. Adv Nutr. 2020;11(1):103-112.
- Smith J, Carr T, Gropper S. Advanced nutrition and human metabolism. 7th ed Boston (MA): Cengage; 2016.
- Manore MM. Effect of physical activity on thiamine, riboflavin, and vitamin B-6 requirements. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000;72(2 Suppl):598S-606S.
- Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Military Nutrition Research; Marriott BM, editor. Nutritional Needs in Hot Environments: Applications for Military Personnel in Field Operations. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 1993. 7, The Effect of Exercise and Heat on Mineral Metabolism and Requirements. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK236242/
- Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Examination of Front-of-Package Nutrition Rating Systems and Symbols; Wartella EA, Lichtenstein AH, Boon CS, editors. Front-of-Package Nutrition Rating Systems and Symbols: Phase I Report. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2010. 4, Overview of Health and Diet in America. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK209844/
- Sakkas H, Bozidis P, Touzios C, et al. Nutritional Status and the Influence of the Vegan Diet on the Gut Microbiota and Human Health. Medicina (Kaunas). 2020;56(2):88.
- Sesso HD, Christen WG, Bubes V, et al. Multivitamins in the prevention of cardiovascular disease in men: the Physicians' Health Study II randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2012;308(17):1751-1760.
- Rautiainen S, Rist PM, Glynn RJ, Buring JE, Gaziano JM, Sesso HD. Multivitamin Use and the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in Men. J Nutr. 2016;146(6):1235-1240.
- Pilz S, Frisch S, Koertke H, et al. Effect of vitamin D supplementation on testosterone levels in men. Horm Metab Res. 2011;43(3):223-225.
- Prasad AS, Mantzoros CS, Beck FW, Hess JW, Brewer GJ. Zinc status and serum testosterone levels of healthy adults. Nutrition. 1996;12(5):344-348.
- Gordon PL, Sakkas GK, Doyle JW, Shubert T, Johansen KL. Relationship between vitamin D and muscle size and strength in patients on hemodialysis. J Ren Nutr. 2007;17(6):397-407.
- Cito G, Cocci A, Micelli E, et al. Vitamin D and Male Fertility: An Updated Review. World J Mens Health. 2020;38(2):164-177.
- Canguven O, Al Malki AH. Vitamin D and Male Erectile Function: An Updated Review. World J Mens Health. 2021;39(1):31-37.
- Tinggi U. Selenium: its role as antioxidant in human health. Environ Health Prev Med. 2008;13(2):102-108.
- Boitani C, Puglisi R. Selenium, a key element in spermatogenesis and male fertility. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2008;636:65-73.
- Fallah A, Mohammad-Hasani A, Colagar AH. Zinc is an Essential Element for Male Fertility: A Review of Zn Roles in Men's Health, Germination, Sperm Quality, and Fertilization. J Reprod Infertil. 2018;19(2):69-81.
- Kennedy DO. B Vitamins and the Brain: Mechanisms, Dose and Efficacy--A Review. Nutrients. 2016;8(2):68.
- Lehotský J, Tothová B, Kovalská M, et al. Role of Homocysteine in the Ischemic Stroke and Development of Ischemic Tolerance. Front Neurosci. 2016;10:538.
