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This necessary nutrient is a powerful immune booster, and some studies suggest it may prevent skin and bladder cancer. Additionally, B6 protects against the formation of kidney stones (a problem that affects twice as many men as women) and can help prevent restless sleep. Your need only two milligrams of vitamin B6 daily—about the amount in two large bananas. Active men need a few milligrams more, since it’s burned up during exercise, says Paula Trumbo, Ph.D., assistant professor of nutritional biochemistry at Purdue University. Other dietary sources include chicken and fish, liver, potatoes, avocados and sunflower seed. High doses of B6 supplements can be toxic over time, so experts recommend taking no more than 50 milligrams a day.
It boosts immunity; may help prevent cancer, heart disease and stroke; promotes healthy gums and teeth; prevents cataracts; hastens wound healing; counteracts asthma; and may help overcome infertility in men. Keeping your body well supplied with vitamin C may also slow the aging process. Broccoli, cantaloupe, green peppers and grapefruit juice are good dietary sources, but supplements won’t harm you, as this vitamin’s not toxic in high doses. Researcher Earl Dawson, Ph.D., of the University of Texas Medical Branch, says 200 to 300 milligrams a day should be adequate. Many researchers thing you’ll shortchange yourself on vitamin C with the RDA of 60 milligrams (the amount in ½ cup of fresh orange juice), particularly when it comes to warding off the common cold, the most well known of C’s benefits.
If you smoke, you probably need extra vitamin C. Smokers have lower levels of the vitamin in their blood. No one knows why, but the implication is that their bodies need more C and thus are using more.
Studies fine vitamin A can have significant immunity-boosting and anticancer effects, And, yes, just as your mother told you, it helps maintain good vision. A ½ –cup serving of steamed carrots supplies almost four times a man’s daily recommend intake of 1,000 milligrams. Other good sources are liver, dairy products, fish, tomatoes, apricots and cantaloupe. Vitamin A is easy to get from your diet and extremely toxic n high doses, so experts recommend avoiding supplements.
This mineral plays a key role in regulating the heart-beat—studies show that getting enough may protect men against heart disease as well as bring down high blood pressure. Magnesium also boosts fertility by making sperm more vigorous. You’ll get about two-thirds of your daily requirement of magnesium from a breakfast of two cups of shredded wheat, skim milk and banana. Baked potatoes, beans, nuts, oatmeal, peanut butter, whole-wheat spaghetti, leafy vegetables and seafood are also magnesium rich.
Technically, fiber’s not nutrient, since it passes through the body undigested. But eating fiber substantially reduces cholesterol and may help lower blood pressure. A high-fiber diet may lower your risk of colon cancer (the third most common kind for men) and can control sugar levels in diabetics. Fiber may even help you lose weight by filling you up without a lot of calories. Two medium-sized apples will give you 14 of the recommended 18 to 35 daily grams of dietary fiber you need. You also get fiber from whole-grain breads and breakfast cereals, brown rice, strawberries, pears and vegetables, especially one with edible stalks and stems such as broccoli and carrots.
This vital mineral can cut cholesterol, boost endurance in athletes and help bodybuilders gain muscle and lose fat. The average man needs at least 50 micrograms of chromium a day, but active men should get 100 to 200 micrograms, according to Richard Anderson, Ph.D., of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center. “You’ll have a hard time getting this much from foods,” he says. Your best source is a multivitamin/mineral complex that includes chromium. Nest best is one or two chromium-fortified tablets of brewer’s yeast daily.
Men need more of just about every essential nutrient tan women. Here are the nine most important vitamins and minerals that every man should know about.
WHICH VITAMINS DO you need most, and how much do you need? Men’s Health went to the experts for the answers. But first, an interesting footnote: Men and women have differing nutritional needs. In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration puts out separate men’s and women’s lists of Recommend Dietary Allowances (RDA) for vitamins and minerals. And men need more of just about every essential nutrient than women do. Why? Quite simply, because we’re bigger. We have more muscle and burn more calories than women do. And those of us who are fit and active, in particular, need higher quantities of certain key nutrients.
Further, getting enough of the right vitamins and minerals can help us fight problems we men are at especially high risk for, such as elevated cholesterol, hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, certain cancers and kidney stones.
Here, in alphabetical order, are the nine nutrients men need most