When it comes to supplements, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach.
Whether you want to bolster your immune system with daily zinc capsules, are looking to make the most of your workouts with protein, or simply want to up your vitamin C and E intake to achieve a healthy glow, everyone’s needs are different.
We caught up with Lorna Driver-Davies, Head of Nutrition at wellness brand Wild Nutrition to find out all the tips and tricks for a healthy supplement regimen.
Key supplements for men
Whilst the healthy gents out there think they’re gaining all of their essential vitamins and nutrients in their diet, you may just find that you have deficiencies in certain areas.
As explained by Driver-Davies, “Some nutrients should ideally be taken all the time, such as Vitamin D, which you get from sun exposure. I recommend taking this all year round because people don’t always get outside enough, even in the summer. The same is true for a multivitamin.
“Zinc, which is key for the immune system, testosterone and mood support tends to be low in men, as well as magnesium if they’re very active through work or exercise. I do recommend taking magnesium regularly or even each day because it’s used for over 300 jobs in the body, and is such a key mineral for muscles, the nervous system, stress, sleep, energy, mood and more.
“I also find men never eat enough oily fish (omega 3) and that essential fat is the backbone to make steroid hormones such as testosterone - look at it this way - if your omega 3 is low, you can’t make testosterone very well.”
The bottom line is, you want to hit your Recommended Daily Allowance across the board, but don’t exceed your Tolerable Upper Intake Level - so if your food intake isn’t up to scratch, then finding a quality supplement could be the answer.
How to choose the right supplements
When scouting the market, you should look out for products with the most natural source of nutrients. Driver-Davies continues, “aim to avoid as many synthetic nutrients as possible. For example, you would want the active forms of B12 - methylcobalamin or deoxyadenosylcobalamin - rather than cyanocobalamin (used a great deal even in supposedly ‘premium’ products).
“I would also avoid fillers, binders, sugars and preservatives. The cost of a product should reflect its quality but don’t always assume that. Question who has made your product - are they a qualified nutrition expert or is a brand just ‘white labelling’ (buying an off the shelf formula and sticking their label on top)?”
Goal-driven choices
You need to think of your end-goal, too. Perhaps you’re aiming to bulk up at the gym in which case you’ll be in the market for protein, or maybe you want to focus on improving your skin, which would call for some extra vitamin A.
We’ve rounded up the best supplements for four categories, skin, hair and nails, pre and post workout, immunity boosting, and gut health, so if you keep scrolling you’ll find an option to solve any of your needs.
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Skin, hair, and nails
Votary Super Glow Skin Nutrition Supplement Capsules
Is there anyone out there who doesn’t want glowing skin? We didn’t think so...
These capsules by Votary will boost your body and skin with all the goodness it needs to have you looking radiant in no time. Packed full of selenium and vitamin A to stimulate cell renewal, niacinamide to dull down any redness, antioxidant vitamin C to brighten your complexion, and nourishing vitamin E to bolster your skin’s barrier, these pods have all the bases covered.
Buy now £35.00, Cult Beauty
111skin Reparative Beauty Dose
Although your grooming regime may be tip top, there’s no way to completely stop signs of ageing - but you can give it your best shot with 111SKIN’s Reparative Beauty Dose.
It is jam-packed with antioxidants including the brand’s siganture complex NAC Y2, which is clinically proven to boost glutathione which helps battle visible signs of ageing, and vitamins C and E to brighten the skin. There’s also Coenzyme Q10 which defends your complexion from the adverse effects of sun exposure and promotes healthier skin over all, including cell regeneration, growth, and repair processes. An all-round age-defying winner.
Buy now £85.00, 111SKIN
Hims Finasteride Tablets
Loosing your barnet can be a distressing problem, and one that affects millions of men. Dedicated male wellness brand Hims is here to help.
The Finasteride tablets, which are more treatment than they are supplements, are clinically proven to block DHT (dihydrotestosterone), a hormone derived from testosterone thought to be the reason for male pattern baldness, so you’ll be left with thicker hair and slower hair loss with regular use.
Offering multiple treatments for hair loss, if you head to their website and have a consultation with their team, they’ll be able to prescribe the best option for you.
Buy now £17.00, Hims
Bioglan Beauty Collagen Strawberry Gummies
Nails are a strong signifier of a well groomed man, so it’s important to take care of them. If you’re after healthier nails that grow faster, as well as healthier hair and younger looking skin in the process, then look no further than Bioglan’s Beauty Collagen Gummies.
Brimming with hydrolysed marine collagen, which bolsters our bodies natural collagen levels that decreases as we age, they’re easy to chew, with no need for water, and they’re a delicious strawberry flavour.
Buy now £19.99, Holland & Barrett
Pre and post workout
Bulk Elevate Pre-Workout
Bursting with active ingredients, Bulk’s Elevate formula contains carbohydrates, amino acids, energy supplements, vitamins, and thermonutrients - in short, everything you need to get the pre-workout boost you need, especially on a sluggish morning.
All you need to do is mix 33g with 300ml water, drink 30-45 minutes before exercise, and you’re good to go. Including caffeine to improve concentration, vitamin B6 to combat tiredness, and BioPerine to increase the absorption rate of the other ingredients, you’ll have a workout like you’ve never had before.
Buy now £33.99, Bulk
Myprotein Pre-Workout Gel - 12 Pack
For ultimate convenience, MyProtein has it covered. Offering a unique gel blend of caffeine, citrulline malate, taurine, beta alanine, and acetyl-L-carnitine, the sachets provide an instant energy boost whether you’re training at the gym or long distance running.
Designed to be consumed 15-30 minutes before exercise straight from the packet, there’s no admin involved, leaving you to concentrate on your workout. Vegan, gluten free, and in two fruity flavours, they’re a definite crowd pleaser.
Buy now £17.99, Myprotein
Huel Complete Protein 2 x 750g tubs
As the world’s first nutritionally-complete vegan protein powder, Huel is made from sustainable sourced, high-quality hemp, faba, and pea protein - and it’s naturally gluten free, too. The positives don’t end there, it contains more essential amino acids (EAAs) than whey protein, 26 vitamins and minerals, and works out at only 87p per serving.
Available in six natural flavours, all you need to do is add a scoop (29g) to 300ml of water, shake for 10 seconds, and your post-workout drink is ready to give you the protein kick you need.
Buy now £50.00, Huel
Upbeat Protein Energy and Protein Hydration 6 X 500ml- 2 x zesty orange, 2 x mixed berry, 2 x tropical
Like a protein shake, but lighter, Upbeat’s Protein Energy and Protein Hydration drinks are the perfect post-workout refresh - and they’re zero sugar. The orange and berry flavours contain 10g of clear whey isolate protein, vitamin B complex, and 3000mg BCAA, whilst the tropical ups the ante with 15g of protein, 180mg caffeine and 4000mg BCAA. After treating yourself to a bottle you’ll feel hydrated, energised, and your body will feel boosted, without worrying about any added calories.
Buy now £14.49, Amazon
Immunity
Wild Nutrition Food-Grown Immune Support
As explained by Head of Nutrition Lorna Driver-Davies, “Food-Grown Immune Support is our go-to for men looking to support their immune system. Don’t just think about winter health or if you get run down - you produce more ‘free radicals’ (toxins that create wear and tear, damage, aging and affect energy) when you exercise so you would need to always be supporting your immune system regardless of general wellness or time of the year.”
Packed full of zinc with its bug fighting abilities, immune system strengthening botanical mushrooms, niacin to optimise energy, and vitamin C to promote healing by supporting collagen production, it’s a one-stop-immune-boosting-shop.
Buy now £27.50, Wild Nutrition
Holland & Barrett Zinc 25mg 240 Tablets
Needed for immune cell development, inflammatory response, and the protection of tissue barriers, the importance of zinc should not be overlooked. These one-a-day tablets by Holland & Barrett will make sure that any deficiencies in your diet are fully taken care of.
Buy now £10.49, Holland & Barrett
Centrum Men Multivitamin & Mineral Tablets 60 tablets
Boasting 24 essential nutrients including vitamin C, D, and E (the alphabet goes on…), Centrum’s one-a-day multivitamins help to support the general wellbeing and nutritional needs of men. Not only do they help the normal function of the immune system, but they aid with energy release, muscle function, cognitive function, and nutritional support. Containing 60 easy-to-swallow pills, these will keep you stocked up on nutrients for two months.
Buy now £12.50, Amazon
Gut health
Vitl Daily Biotic
With billions of live cultures in each daily dose, Vitl’s daily biotic is full of good bacteria that will keep your gut healthy. For the gut to function its best, it requires varied strains of bacteria to help you process and digest the food you eat, so each pill’s 14 billion colony-forming units from nine scientifically-supported species will certainly be enough to keep everything moving.
Completely filler-free, with no bulking agent, artificial colours or preservatives, they contain lactobacillus acidophilus, to break down sugars, lactobacillus plantarum to aid the gut wall, and chicory root extract to improve blood sugar control, among other belly-friendly ingredients.
Buy now £14.99, Vitl
The Nue Co. Prebiotic + Probiotic
Containing a mix of prebiotic inulin and probiotic complex, The Nue Co’s signature multivitamin blend delivers 15 billion spores in a daily dose. The vegan friendly formula works to aid digestion, stabilise blood sugar, and feed the friendly bacteria in the gut.
Extracted from soil and artichoke tubers, they’ll not only help with digestion but will also allow you to enjoy all the other perks of a happy gut, including better skin, mood, immunity, and cognitive function.
Buy now £45.00, Cult Beauty
Symprove Water-based Food Supplement
As a water-based formula, Symprove’s supplement has the best chances of delivering the bacteria to your gut safe and sound, because digestion, which can create acids that are too harsh for many bacteria forms, won’t be triggered when you drink it. Working to bolster your gut’s microbiome, which is a massive ecosystem made up of trillions of organisms that are fundamental in metabolic, nutritional, and immune system functions, this drink, which comes in original, strawberry and raspberry, and mango and passionfruit, will give your gut all the bacterial goodness it needs.
Buy now £49.99, Symprove
Sons Gut Health Supplement - LP299V
I think we’ve all experienced crippling abdominal pain, bloating, or other IBS symptoms at one point or another. Well, let’s hope this will be a thing of the past with Sons’ Gut Health Supplement, designed to bind to the cells in your gut wall, encouraging it to create healthy mucus which helps to strengthen and protect your digestive system against irritation and attack from bad bacteria. Available as a one off purchase, or as a monthly subscription for a discounted price if your gut is craving more, you’ll usually notice a difference after four weeks of daily usage.
Buy now £44.00, Sons
