Essential Vitamins and Minerals for Men

Overview

This article is the starting point for our exploration into the world of supplements and nutrients.
Our first stop along the way, is to take a look at the essential nutrients for any adult male.

Basically, vitamins and minerals are what our body needs to work properly and stay healthy.
Although most people would get their required nutrients from a varied and balanced diet, a less healthy diet might benefit from extra supplements being taken to sustain a healthier body function.

The basis for our list has been drawn from the Public Health England’s 2016 report on dietary recommendations for children and adults.
Also, for further reading, if you ever wondered how the naming of vitamins came to be, then this article is an interesting read.

Vitamin A: Retinol

Working through our list in alphabetical order, we start with Vitamin A, which is also known as retinol.

Benefits of Vitamin A:

• Retinol supports the immune system in fighting illness and infection;
• Retinol supports healthy skin
• Retinol supports eyesight in porer light.

Sources of Vitamin A (retinol):

• cheese, eggs, milk, yoghurt;
• oily fish, liver and liver products,¹;
• fortified low-fat spreads,

Other facts About Retinol:

Vitamin A is also found in beta-carotene sources.
Good sources of beta-carotene are:

• yellow, red and green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes and red peppers;
• yellow fruit, such as mango, papaya and apricots.

How much vitamin A is needed each day?

The amount of vitamin A that an adult male needs is less than 1mg per day.
Because Vitamin A is stored by your body for when it is needed, there is no real need to take daily supplements or topups.

What happens if too much vitamin A is taken?

Persistent excessive intake of Vitamin A can lead to weakened bones in older age.
Therefore, it is best NOT to take multi-vitamins that contain Vitamin A.
This is even more critical if you regularly eat liver or take fish liver oil (more than once a week), as these contain high levels of Vitamin A.

Vitamin B1: Thiamin

 

Benefits of Vitamin B1:

• Thiamin helps the body to break down food and absorb energy
• Thiamin maintains a healthy nervous system

Sources of Vitamin B1 (Thiamin):

• Peas, nuts, wholegrain breads, fortified breakfast cereals;
• Fresh fruits, such as bananas and oranges;
• Liver¹

How much vitamin B1 is needed each day?

The amount of thiamin that a male adult needs on a daily basis is 1mg.
This amount would normally be absorbed by following a balanced daily diet.

What happens if too much vitamin B1 is taken?

Thiamin is not stored in the body, and so a daily dietary uptake is required.
If a supplement is felt to be beneficial, then Taking 100mg or less a day is unlikely to cause any harm.²

Vitamin B2: Riboflavin

 

Benefits of Vitamin B2:

• Riboflavin helps to maintain healthy skin, eyes, and nervous system
• Riboflavin helps the body to release energy from food

Sources of Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin):

• Milk, eggs, plain yoghurt
• Mushrooms, fortified breakfast cereals

Other factsabout Riboflavin:

UV light can eliminate riboflavin, and so ideally any nutritional sources should be kept out of direct sunlight.

How much vitamin B2 is needed each day?

The average daily intake of riboflavin for an adult male is 1.3mg.
This would normally be absorbed from a balanced daily diet.

What happens if too much vitamin B2 is taken?

Riboflavin is not stored in the body, and so a daily dietary uptake is required.
If a supplement is felt to be beneficial, then Taking 40mg or less a day is unlikely to cause any harm.²

Vitamin B3: Niacin

 

Benefits of Vitamin B3:

• Niacin helps the body to release energy from food
• Niacin maintains a healthy nervous system and skin

Sources of Vitamin B3 (Niacin):

• Meat, fish, wheat flour, eggs

Other facts About Niacin:

There are 2 forms of niacin: nicotinic acid and nicotinamide. Both of which are found naturally in food.

How much vitamin B3 is needed each day?

The average daily intake of Niacin for an adult male is 16.5mg.
This would normally be absorbed from a balanced daily diet.

What happens if too much vitamin B3 is taken?

Taking high doses of nicotinic acid supplements can cause skin flushes.
Sustained high doses could lead to liver damage.
Niacin is not stored in the body, and so a daily dietary uptake is required.
If a supplement is felt to be beneficial, then Taking 17mg or less of nicotinic acid a day, or 500mg or less of nicotinamide a day, is unlikely to cause any harm.²

Vitamin B5: Pantothenic Acid

 

Benefits of Vitamin B5

• Pantothenic Acid helps the body to release energy from food

Sources of Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid:

• Chicken, beef, liver and kidneys
• Eggs, mushrooms, avocado

How much vitamin B5 is needed each day?

There is no set daily intake value for pantothenic acid.
Daily intake would normally be absorbed from a balanced diet.

What happens if too much vitamin B5 is taken?

pantothenic acid is not stored in the body, and so a daily dietary uptake is required.
If a supplement is felt to be beneficial, then Taking 200mg of pantothenic acid a day is unlikely to cause any harm.²

Vitamin B6: Pyridoxine

 

Benefits of Vitamin B6:

• Pyridoxine helps the body to absorb energy from protein and carbohydrates in food.
• Pyridoxine helps the body to form haemoglobin (found in red blood cells).

Sources of Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine):

• Pork, poultry, some fish
• Peanuts, soya beans, wheatgerm, oats, bananas, milk

How much Vitamin B6 is needed each day?

The average daily intake of Pyridoxine in an adult male is 1.4mg.
This would normally be absorbed from a balanced daily diet.
Natural bacteria in the bowel can produce vitamin B6.

What happens if too much vitamin B6 is taken?

Taking 200mg or more a day of Pyridoxine can lead to peripheral neuropathy, which is a loss of feeling in the arms and legs.
If a supplement is felt to be beneficial, then Taking 10mg of Pyridoxine a day is unlikely to cause any harm.¹

Vitamin B7: Biotin

 

Benefits of Vitamin B7:

• Low levels of biotin are needed to help make fatty acids.
• Biotin can be created in the body from bacteria found naturally in the bowel.

Sources of Vitamin B7 (Biotin):

• Biotin is found in many foods, but at very low levels.
• Being created internally, it is not believed that external sources are necessary

What happens if too much vitamin B7 is taken?

There is little research into excessive doses of Biotin, and it is not seen as problematic.
However, if supplements are thought to be beneficial, then the recommendations are for amounts of less than 0.9mg per day.

Vitamin B9: Folate and folic acid

 

Benefits of Vitamin B9:

• Folate acid helps the body to create healthy red blood cells

Sources of Vitamin B9 (Folate and Folic Acid):

• Broccoli, brussels sprouts, leafy green vegetables, such as cabbage, kale, spring greens and spinach.
• Peas, chickpeas and kidney beans and liver.

Other facts About Folate:

Folate is found in many foods. The manmade form of folate is called folic acid.
Folate is also known as folacin.
A lack of folate could lead to folate deficiency anaemia.

How much vitamin B9 is needed each day?

An adult male needs approximately 0.2mg of folate each day.
In general, the daily requirement should be achieved by eating a normal, healthy diet.
As the body doesn’t store folate, it is necessary to replenish this vitamin frequently.

What happens if too much folic acid is taken?

If folic acid supplements are thought to be beneficial, then the recommendation is for amounts of less than 1mg per day.
Please Note that taking more than 1mg per day over extended periods can mask the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency.
This in turn can cause damage to the nervous system, if not corrected.

Vitamin B12: Cobalamin

 

Benefits of Vitamin B12:

• Cobalamin helps in the making of red blood cells and keeping the nervous system healthy
• Cobalamin helps the body to release energy from food

Good sources of vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)

• Meat, fish
• Milk, cheese, eggs
• some fortified breakfast cereals

Other facts About Cobalamin:

Vitamin B12 is not found in fruit, vegetables or grains, and so vegans might need to supplement their daily input.

How much vitamin B12 is needed each day?

An adult male needs approximately 0.0015mg of Cobalamin each day.
In general, the daily requirement should be achieved by eating meat, fish and dairy products.
As the body doesn’t store Cobalamin it is necessary to replenish this vitamin frequently.

What happens if too much Vitamin B12 is taken?

A lack of Cobalamin could lead to vitamin B12 deficiency anaemia.
If there is a benefit in taking Cobalamin supplements, such as if a vegan diet is followed, Taking 2mg or less a day is unlikely to cause any harm.

Vitamin C: Ascorbic Acid

 

Benefits of Vitamin C:

• Ascorbic Acid helps to protect and keep cells healthy
• Ascorbic Acid helps to maintain healthy skin, blood vessels, bones and cartilage
• Ascorbic Acid helps with the healing of wounds

Sources of Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid):

• Citrus fruit, such as oranges and orange juice, strawberries, blackcurrants
• Peppers, broccoli, brussels sprouts, potatoes

Other facts About Ascorbic Acid:

A vitamin C deficiency can lead to scurvy.

How much vitamin C is needed each day?

An adult male needs approximately 40mg of Ascorbic Acid a day.of Cobalamin each day.
In general, the daily requirement should be achieved by maintaining a healthy and balanced diet.
As the body doesn’t store Ascorbic Acid, it is necessary to replenish this vitamin frequently.

What happens if too much vitamin C is taken?

Taking more than 1000mg of Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) per day) of vitamin C can cause stomach pain, diarrhoea, flatulence.
These symptoms should stop, once the vitamin c intake has been reduced.

Vitamin D: Ergocalciferol

There are three variants of Vitamin D:

• Vitamin D: Ergocalciferol
• Vitamin D2: Cholecalciferol
• Vitamin D3: Alfacalcidol

Benefits of Vitamin D

• Ergocalciferol helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body
• Ergocalciferol helps to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy

Sources of Vitamin D (Ergocalciferol):

• Citrus fruit, such as oranges and orange juice, strawberries, blackcurrants
• oily fish – such as salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel, red meat, liver, egg yolks
• fortified foods – such as some fat spreads and breakfast cereals

Other facts about ergocalciferol:

The body creates vitamin D from direct sunlight on the skin when outdoors.
If you have dark skin – for example you have an African, African-Caribbean or south Asian background – you may also not get enough vitamin D from sunlight.
A lack of vitamin D can result in bone deformities, such as rickets in children, or bone pain in adults called osteomalacia.

Coronavirus update
It’s important to take vitamin D during lockdown, as much longer time is spent indoors and away from natural Vitamin D sources.
Vitamin D has been reported as helping to reduce risk of coronavirus (COVID-19). This has NOT been proven or dismissed by medical science.

How much vitamin D is needed each day?

An adult male needs approximately 10micrograms of ergocalciferol a day.
You should take 10 micrograms (400 IU) of vitamin D a day between October and early March to keep your bones and muscles healthy.
During the summer months, most people should be able to get the vitamin D they need from sunlight.

What happens if too much vitamin D is taken?

Taking too many vitamin D supplements over a long period of time can cause too much calcium to build up in the body (hypercalcaemia). This can weaken the bones and damage the kidneys and the heart.
Do not take more than 100 micrograms (4,000 IU) of vitamin D a day as it could be harmful.
It is not possible to overdose on vitamin D through exposure to sunlight alone.

Vitamin E: Tocopherol

 

Benefits of Vitamin E:

• Tocopherol helps maintain healthy skin and eyes
• Tocopherol helps strengthen the the immune system against illness and infection

Sources of Vitamin A (Tocopherol):

• Plant oils – such as rapeseed (vegetable oil), sunflower, soya, corn and olive oil
• Nuts and seeds, wheatgerm – found in cereals and cereal product

Other Facts About Tocopherol

Vitamin E is stored for future use within your body.

How much vitamin E is needed each day?

An adult male needs 4mg of Tocopherol each day.
A normal, healthy and balanced diet should provide all the Tocopherol that is needed.

What happens if too much vitamin E is taken?

It has not been scientifically evidenced what the effects might be of any excessive intake of Tocopherol might be.
If supplements are felt to be beneficial, then 540mg (800 IU) or less a day is unlikely to cause any harm.
However, it is advised not to regularly take in excess of these stated amounts each day.

Vitamin K: Phylloquinone and Menaquinones

 

Forms of Vitamin K

• K1 is named phylloquinone, and can be attained from food sources
• K2 is named menaquinones, and is converted by intestinal bacteria
• K3 is named menadione, and is a synthetic form of vitamin K, but is NOT suitable for human consumption

Benefits of Vitamin A:

• Phylloquinone and Menaquinones helps blood clotting, supporting the healing of wounds
• Phylloquinone and Menaquinones helps the production of proteins for bone health

Sources of Vitamin A (Phylloquinone and Menaquinones):

• Green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, kale, and broccoli
• Vegetable oils and soy beans
• Fruits, such as blueberries and grapes

Other Facts About Phylloquinone and Menaquinones:

Despite the proven harmful effects to human liver, vitamin K3 has demonstrated anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties in test-tube studies.

How much vitamin K is needed each day?

An adult male needs approximately 1 microgram a day for each kilogram of body weight.
Therefore, an adult male weighing 80kg would need approximately 80 micrograms (0.08mg) a day.
This amount should be easily attained when following a healthy, balanced diet.

What happens if too much vitamin K is taken?

It is not scientifically evidenced what damage might be caused by taking high doses of vitamin K supplements each day.
However, any vitamin K that is not needed is stored in the liver for future use.
It is advised that taking 1mg or less of vitamin K supplements per day is unlikely to cause any harm.

Footnotes

1. Liver, liver pâté, and/or fish liver are high in nutrient, and should be taken in moderation.
2. The UK Department of Health and Social Care advised practices.