Is there a need for mens vitamins?

Most men have never given any thought to whether or not mens vitamins actually differ. Do men have really different vitamin needs than women? Are those special mens vitamins really worth $7 more than the plain 'unisex' version?

I've wondered these things.

I've researched these things.

And what I've found is actually pretty interesting...and important. Regardless of whether your a man or woman. So, in this article we'll discuss not only what is needed in mens vitamins but if the marketplace is really providing those things. And also, we'll briefly discuss what science is unearthing everyday that may benefit men (and women) in the near future.

Is there a need for mens vitamins?
The fact of the matter is men and women's nutritional needs do vary. But unfortunately the amount that they differ by seems to be up in the air. But this hasn't stopped companies from pushing so called mens vitamins that really don't differ that much from any other formulation. So, lets talk about what to look for in mens vitamins and what two nutrients men should make sure are in their supplement.

Mens vitamins built just for us

Women have ovaries and other special women’s parts. Men? We have the prostate. A walnut-shaped gland that has garnered a great deal of attention over the past decade or two because it seems like nearly every men is getting either an enlarged prostate or prostate cancer.

Obviously, this is a huge concern for any man. Particularly if you live long enough. It's been said before that if you live long enough you will get prostate cancer. While this may be true in the USA, it is certainly not the case in other countries like the Far East where prostate cancer is relatively rare.

So, why the differences?

It is either genetic (out of our control) or environmental (pollution, culture, and diet). Recent studies have followed Asians who have immigrated to the USA. And what they found was very interesting. As they immigrate to the USA their incidence and risk for prostate cancer immediately increases. By the second generation it is almost the same as Westerners!

This provides a very compelling argument for diet as a way to control your risk of developing prostate cancer.

Enter mens vitamins

One of the compounds that mens vitamins should contain is selenium. What is selenium? A trace element. Unfortunately due to our farming methods selenium is all but gone from the soil in the USA.

But selenium didn't start making news until a study looking at using selenium to prevent skin cancer showed that while it didn't help prevent skin cancer, it did lower prostate cancer risk by 66%. These findings have since been reproduced in other studies.

So how much selenium should mens vitamins contain?

Your OK to take selenium up to 200micrograms daily. So that is what I would shoot for.

You can never start taking mens vitamins too soon...

Oh, and just in case you think this information is for the older guys in the crowd...think again. A recent autopsy study showed that up to 30% of men in their thirties had prostate cancer cells present! So it's never too early to start thinking about prevention.

The 'E'Z way to choose mens vitamins

Another substance that has garnered some attention for mens health recently is vitamin E. Why?

A randomized study performed in the 90's as a way to look at vitamin E's effects on preventing lung cancer showed it decreased the risk of developing prostate cancer by 30% after 4 years of use. This was increased to 41% by 6 years of supplementation.

Other studies are now starting to look at the same thing and the results are promising.

Of course, it may be little early to say I told you so. But, it certainly isn't going to hurt.

How much vitamin E should mens vitamins contain?

Vitamin E is very safe, even at very high doses (up to 2,400 IU's), but you don't need to take a dose anywhere near that. I think 400 IU/day would be sufficient.

As a side note, always make sure that your multivitamin has both selenium and vitamin E. Not only do they both help with the prostate but early evidence suggests that they help each other work better.

Are there other compounds that your vitamin supplement should contain? Sure.

But, for the most part, you will be giving yourself a great deal of preventative health insurance by making sure your multivitamin has these two compounds above.

Beating a dead horse

I know I harp on this a lot...but...it really doesn't matter how many pills you pop if your diet still stinks. So, before you start purchasing any supplement make sure you:

1. Forget the lame food pyramid. Look to the Far East as your role model for diet.

2. Make veggies and fruits the base of your own pyramid. Go ahead and eat meat, but do it in moderation and make sure it is free of hormones (i.e., grass-fed, free range). Also throw cold water fish (salmon, cod, etc.) and poultry into the mix.

3. Completely avoid or severely limit your intake of processed/refined foods. Nothing good comes from these compounds. Unless you consider consuming carcinogens and compounds that increase your risk of diabetes good...

4. Stay active. Don't worry about how you do it. That's not as important as actually getting out and doing something. Park farther away at the supermarket, take the stairs instead of the elevator, climb a tree, whatever.

Take the advice of Nike on this one: "Just do it".

But as the general rule of thumb use this saying about the people of the Far East as your guide for a healthy life (I call it the rule of 90's):

"They don't weigh much more than 90 pounds, they
walk or ride 90 miles a week, they haul 90 pounds on their back wherever
they go and they live to be 90 years old..."

So, make sure you are taking a multivitamin for the other benefits that are discussed on this website. For example a good multivitamin will have at least 25mg of vitamin B-6 and at least 400micrograms of folic acid. This gives you the heart benefit by lowering homocysteine levels. But for even more added insurance or if you have a family history of prostate problems like I do, it is never too early to make sure you have selenium and vitamin E in your mens vitamins.

So there you go. There really is a need for mens vitamins. Just stay the course and don't fall for all the hype out there. Instead focus on the basics in this article and I think that will put you farther ahead than 95% of men who think they have no course of action but to let nature take its course and then go under the surgeons knife.

To Your Improved Health (always!),

Curtis Alexander, Pharm.D.

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