What Vitamins Should A 30 Year Old Man Take? - Top 6 Essential Nutrients

1. Zinc

If there’s one nutrient known for supporting men’s health, it’s zinc. For men who experience high stress levels—whether from work, relationships, or training—zinc levels tend to dip below the safe line. And because the body can’t store zinc, it has to be continually replenished through diet or supplementation.

But why do we need it? Zinc is an essential mineral with widespread functions throughout the body. It’s involved in proper immune function, wound healing, supporting your sense of taste and smell, hormone production, and, of course, male reproductive function.

For men in their 30s, reproductive function and hormone production are key. Zinc is essential for testosterone production, and deficiency has been shown to interfere with testosterone levels, but it’s also required for proper germination, quality of sperm, and fertilization ^{2, 3}.

So, if you’re a fan of seafood, now is the time you want to be knocking back oysters!

2. Vitamin D

When it comes to maintaining overall health and performance, vitamin D tops the charts. It’s involved in several essential functions ranging from mood and immune function, to heart health and bone health.

But for men in their 30s, this is the time when testosterone levels may start to drop, which can lead to symptoms like poor muscle growth, increased fat deposition, hair loss, low sex drive, and more. And while a decline in testosterone levels is only natural as men get older, supplementing with vitamin D can help to keep levels up.

A 2011 study looked at the influence of vitamin D supplementation in healthy men with testosterone values either in the deficiency range or at the lower end of the reference range ⁴.

After one year of supplementation with 3,332 IU daily, mean circulating D3 concentrations increased significantly by 53.5 nmol/l in the group taking vitamin D, while remaining almost constant in the placebo group.

There was also a significant increase in total testosterone levels, bioactive testosterone, and free testosterone levels in the group that supplemented vitamin D, whereas the group that did not saw no significant changes.

Vitamin D is widely available in many animal food sources but is also synthesized de novo from sun exposure. Getting out in the sun for 15-30 minutes daily can help keep vitamin D levels up.

However, this may not always be possible for people due to geographical constraints, meaning supplementation becomes key.

3. Selenium

Selenium is a mineral that often flies too far under the radar where men’s health is concerned, and there are a few key reasons why it should be in your supplement stack:

• Boosts immune function: Selenoproteins are selenium-containing proteins that play a significant role in virtually all components of the immune system, especially the development and expression of nonspecific, humoral, and cell-mediated responses ⁵. Of the selenoproteins, glutathione peroxides exhibit the most far-reaching effects on immune function, serving as a group of antioxidant enzymes that mitigate the effects of oxygen and nitrogen radicals ⁶. Studies report that a deficiency in selenium results in immunosuppression, whereas supplementation, even at low doses, can augment or restore proper immunologic functions.
• Supports male reproductive health: Selenium is gold when it comes to supporting male fertility. It’s involved in the production of testosterone, which is a key driver in male sex drive as well as spermatogenesis. Research shows that Selenop may be an important intracellular and extracellular antioxidant in Leydig cells and serves to protect them from oxidative damage, thereby supporting enhanced structural integrity and function of sperm and better fertility outcomes ^{7, 8}.
• Reduces inflammation and ROS damage: Mainly through its incorporation into selenoproteins, selenium has been shown to play an important role in regulating excessive immune responses and chronic inflammation. Studies also suggest that its involvement in immunoregulation is essential for preventing excessive responses that may lead to the development of autoimmunity or chronic inflammation ⁹.
• May protect against heart disease: Cardiovascular diseases are some of the leading causes of death worldwide. Research shows that selenium may help protect against the development of heart disease by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress. Oxidative stress and inflammation are linked to atherosclerosis, or the build-up of plaque in the blood vessels, which can lead to several fatal outcomes, including stroke, heart attack, and heart disease. However, studies suggest that increasing blood selenium concentrations by 50% can reduce the risk of heart disease by a whopping 24% ¹⁰.

4. Magnesium

It’s estimated that roughly 2% of Americans experience a magnesium deficiency, while up to 75% of people are not meeting their recommended intake ¹¹. And because magnesium is involved in over 300 biochemical reactions in the body, most people can’t afford to be low.

It influences nerve function, blood glucose control, protein synthesis, and circadian rhythm, among others, and plays a critical role in supporting the absorption of other nutrients, including calcium.

For men, specifically, magnesium is needed to support adequate serum levels of free and total testosterone, especially when coupled with exercise, but it’s also been shown that people taking magnesium supplements have better muscular health than those who don’t ^{12, 13}; research suggests that magnesium’s role in strength may be at the ribosomal level in protein synthesis.

5. Omega-3s

Omega-3 fatty acids are your head-to-toe supplements. They are a class of polyunsaturated fatty acids renowned for their anti-inflammatory properties, but are also known to support cardiovascular health, joint health, cognitive function, and more.

But the reason omega-3s are so important to consume is because the Western diet typically contains an insanely skewed ratio of omega-6:omega-3, which leads to a pro-inflammatory state, as omega-6s break down to the pro-inflammatory molecule, arachidonic acid.

Increasing your intake of omega-3 fats helps to maintain a more favorable ratio between omega-3s and omega-6s, contributing to a less inflammatory state and better overall health.

But the thing is that most men consume far more of the inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids than they do anti-inflammatory omega-3s. In fact, studies show that it could be as much as 15x more ¹⁴.

Although omega-3s are typically consumed through fish oil, it’s important to remember that not all fish oils are created equal. They are often subject to poor environmental practices, chemicals, and toxins and are rancid upon consumption, resulting in greater inflammation.

Instead, opt for something with integrity— Performance Lab Omega-3 is derived from the original aquatic source of all marine omega-3s: algae. It’s clean, pure, and potent, delivering the optimal ratio of DHA:EPA for peak human performance.

6. Probiotics

And last but not least, we get to gut health—the center of your body and what the proper function of virtually every system in your body relies on. While most people are under the impression that gut health only affects digestion, it influences so much more—immunity, cognitive function, inflammation, glucose and insulin regulation, energy production, and more.

The effects extend far beyond just digestion, and while several factors can interfere with good gut health, taking probiotics and prebiotics is one of the most effective ways to improve gut health.

In the simplest terms, probiotics are living microorganisms intended to exert beneficial health effects when consumed by the host. The gut is composed of trillions of bacteria that collectively make up what we call the microbiome, and when the delicate balance between good and bad bacteria is disrupted, it can lead to major health consequences.

While probiotics aren’t the be-all for improving gut health (lifestyle factors and diet play a significant role in this, too), they can help re-establish balance and reinoculate the gut with beneficial bacteria.