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Because of the great biological demands on a man's body, it is essential to consider using some formulation of men's vitamins. First, it is important to understand that the word vitamin these days is used interchangeably to refer to not only vitamins, but also minerals, phytonutrients, amino acids, enzymes, herbs and a whole host of other specialty nutritional supplements.

Because each gender has their own set of nutritional and metabolic needs, it is vital that men choose vitamins specifically designed for them. Males require a number of specialty nutrients that just are not available from diet alone. Because of this, it important to choose a men's vitamin that meets all of your nutritional needs.

Key Nutrients:

In men's health, the main concerns include enlarged prostate, prostate cancer and gynomastia (enlarged breast tissue). As a man ages, they creates less testosterone, furthermore, a large share of the testosterone they do produce is converted to estrogen. Because of this, their breast tissue might begin to enlarge and they may see a decrease in libido. Many of the pharmaceutical drug therapies used to counteract the effects of this hormone reduction can cause very serious side effects, the most severe being accelerated growth in undetected prostate cancer and liver dysfunction.

One natural way to combat hormonal problems is to make sure the men's vitamins you are taking include the bioflavonoid (isoflavone) Chrysin, a plant extract, which naturally helps inhibit testosterone conversion to estrogen. It is important to use a supplement that has a chrysin potency of 90 percent or higher. Chrysin is an expensive ingredient so most supplements contain it at paltry potencies and tiny dose amounts. Avoid these products.

Zinc is another important component of the mens vitamin supplement you choose. This powerful nutrient has proven positive effects on prostate health. The most common form of zinc used in supplements is citrate. While this form is beneficial, your men's vitamins should contain a healthy dose of zinc aspartate. Why? Because zinc aspartate travels directly to the prostate.

The phytonutrient Quercetin also helps to protect against prostate cancer. It contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties to block male hormones that encourage cancer cell growth. The other well-known and effective prostate nutrients that must be in your men's vitamin supplement are:

' Beta Sitosterol
' Corn Silk Extracts
' Lycopene
' Saw Palmetto
' Resveratrol

When considering other key components of men's vitamins, vitamins and minerals are of course important, but in low doses, and only to fill in nutrient gaps missing in your normal diet. If a large percentage of your supplement is made up of large doses of vitamins and minerals then you're not getting good value for the money. Vitamins and minerals are the cheapest ingredients in supplements!

Other key components of a quality supplement are:

' Phytonutrients
' Standardized medicinal herbs
' Amino acids
' Standardized enzymes
' Cofactors
' Trace elements
' Male and Female support nutrients
' Special immunity enhancers

Good health starts with a strong immune system. This is your first line of defense against cancer and other major disease. In order to keep your immunities up it is important to have a variety of powerful boosters in your men's health supplements, including polysaccharides, alpha lipoic acid, turmeric, vitamin C, vitamin E, beta carotene, vitamin B6, calcium and manganese.

Things To Look For When selecting a Quality Mens Vitamin Supplement:

The first thing to check is that all herbs are standardized. This will guarantee the potency and amount of active ingredients in the supplement you purchase. Many products avoid using standardized extracts because they are considerably more expensive.

To ensure that the product is safe, pure and potent, all unprocessed materials must be sourced from Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) registered and audited facilities and all ingredients must have a Certificate of Analysis (COA) to confirm their potency. These should be freely available to any consumer who requests them and their must be a confirmed paper trail proving the source of all ingredients.

In addition, supplement companies must test all raw materials prior to manufacture for compliance with the COA and for microbiological contamination. Finally, be sure the product does not contain artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, fillers or binders, as well as potential allergenic substances such as lactose, gluten, wheat and yeast.

A quality vitamin supplement for men containing all the nutrients mentioned above provides an excellent foundation for your preventative health regime as well as for treating existing health conditions. By taking steps to ensure that a supplement is manufactured in accordance with the criteria listed in this article and has a competitive price, you can feel confident that you are using a highly efficious and safe product which offers excellent value for money.