Supplements for Men: What the Trials Found, Goal by Goal

The one supplement the NHS advises every adult man to consider is vitamin D: 10 micrograms a day in autumn and winter, and all year for men who get little sun. Beyond that, the trial evidence differs by goal, from creatine with training for muscle to the testosterone, hair, prostate and fertility questions below, each with the NHS route first.¹

Evidence at a glance

• Rests on: the NHS vitamin D advice and each goal's largest pooled evidence: 27 saw palmetto trials (Cochrane 2023), 52 studies of ingredients sold for testosterone (2024), 22 creatine trials in older adults (2017) and 50 male-fertility trials (2025).
• Largest single trial: 2,370 couples, the men taking zinc and folic acid or placebo for six months.
• Strongest measured outcome: across 22 trials of 721 adults aged about 57 to 70 who did resistance training, creatine added 1.37 kg of lean mass compared with placebo.
• Not shown: a rise in live births when men took supplements, in the 2,370-couple trial or the 2025 pooling of 50 trials.

Sources checked on 13 October 2026.

Which supplements does the NHS advise for men?

Vitamin D, and only vitamin D for every adult. The NHS says everyone "should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D during the autumn and winter", because between October and early March we do not make enough from sunlight.¹ Men who are not often outdoors, live in a care home, usually cover most of their skin outside, or have dark skin should consider 10 micrograms all year.¹ For other nutrients, the table gives the Great Britain register wordings and the NHS figures.^{2, 3, 4}

Do testosterone supplements work?

A 2024 review of 52 studies covering 27 ingredients sold as "testosterone boosters" found that most did not raise total testosterone against placebo. It graded tongkat ali and a purified shilajit extract possibly effective in men with late-onset hypogonadism, tongkat ali and ashwagandha possibly effective in healthy men, and HMB and betaine effective in athletes.⁵ The NHS says the fall in testosterone with age is "steady at about 1% a year from around the age of 30 to 40, and this is unlikely to cause any problems in itself"; late-onset hypogonadism is "an uncommon and specific medical condition": a GP arranges the blood tests and a specialist confirms the diagnosis.⁶ A 2026 pooling of 23 ashwagandha trials found testosterone rose in men but not in women.⁷ Zinc is the one nutrient with a testosterone wording (table above).² What changes it without a supplement: how to increase testosterone naturally. Do testosterone supplements work? goes ingredient by ingredient, alongside zinc, shilajit and the Wellgard ashwagandha guide.

Which supplements help muscle and training in men?

Creatine and collagen peptides both have pooled trials with training. Across 22 trials of 721 men and women with average ages of 57 to 70 who trained two or three days a week for 7 to 52 weeks, creatine added 1.37 kg of lean tissue mass compared with placebo, with larger gains in chest-press and leg-press strength.⁸ The register carries two creatine wordings, both at 3 g a day: creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high-intensity exercise, and "Daily creatine consumption can enhance the effect of resistance training on muscle strength in adults over the age of 55".² Across 19 trials of 768 adults, daily collagen peptides with training increased fat-free mass more than training alone.⁹ Creatine for men and collagen for men set out the trials in men, and how much protein you need a day covers the daily total.

Can supplements help men's hair loss?

See a GP first: the NHS advises it "before thinking about going to a commercial hair clinic", names finasteride and minoxidil as the main treatments for male pattern baldness, and says "No treatment is 100% effective."¹⁰ In one supplier-funded 24-week trial of 76 Korean men, hair counts rose 40% on 400 mg a day of pumpkin seed oil against 10% on placebo; the supplier also held the randomisation codes.¹¹ A 2020 review found five randomised trials and two cohort studies of oral and topical products containing saw palmetto, all reporting improvements, and concluded that "robust high-quality data are lacking".¹² Zinc and biotin carry hair wordings ("Zinc contributes to the maintenance of normal hair"; "Biotin contributes to the maintenance of normal hair"), which describe each nutrient's normal role.² In a 12-week trial of 45 trained men, 38 of whom finished, 5 g of creatine a day left testosterone, DHT and hair measures no different from placebo.¹³ See pumpkin seed oil, saw palmetto, zinc and hair loss, biotin and hair and creatine and hair loss.

Can supplements help the prostate or urinary symptoms?

A GP comes first. The NHS says to see a GP if you have difficulty peeing or need to pee more often, and to get an urgent GP appointment or contact NHS 111 for blood in your pee, pain when peeing or being unable to pee; these symptoms "can sometimes be caused by other more serious conditions, such as prostate cancer", which often has no symptoms at first.^{14, 15}

Saw palmetto has the largest trial record. The 2023 Cochrane review pooled 27 trials with 4,656 men and found little to no difference from placebo in urinary symptom scores, rated high certainty, with side effects at a similar rate.¹⁶ NICE's guideline for NHS clinicians says: "Do not offer homeopathy, phytotherapy or acupuncture for treating LUTS in men."¹⁷ A 2018 pooled analysis of one hexane-extracted medicinal product, 27 randomised and observational studies with about 5,800 men, found 0.64 fewer night-time trips to pee and a urine flow 2.75 mL a second faster than placebo; one author works for the extract's manufacturer.¹⁸ In the UK one saw palmetto product is registered as a traditional herbal medicine, on traditional use, "for the relief of lower urinary tract symptoms in men who have a confirmed diagnosis of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH)"; a food supplement cannot carry that indication.¹⁹

In a one-year German trial of 1,431 men aged 50 to 80, 58.5% of those eating 10 g of pumpkin seed a day had at least a five-point fall in symptom score against 47.3% on placebo, a difference the authors called "descriptively significant"; a pumpkin seed extract did no better than placebo.²⁰ Detail: saw palmetto, pumpkin seed oil, zinc for men.

Do supplements improve male fertility?

The NHS says to see a GP if you and your partner have had regular sex without contraception for over a year, or six months if your partner is 36 or over, without a pregnancy. Its list: drink less alcohol, lose weight if you're overweight, stop smoking, wear loose underwear and avoid chemicals at work; and do not take anabolic steroids or cocaine.²¹ In the largest trial, 2,370 couples planning fertility treatment, live births were 34% when the men took zinc and folic acid for six months and 35% on placebo.²² A 2025 pooling of 50 randomised trials of supplements in men found no effect on live birth.²³ NICE's fertility guideline (31 March 2026) says: "Do not offer supplements, antioxidants or medical treatments to improve sperm DNA integrity (fragmentation)."²⁴ Two register wordings describe the nutrients' normal roles: "Selenium contributes to normal spermatogenesis" and "Zinc contributes to normal fertility and reproduction".² Zinc for men has the trial in detail.

Do supplements help erections or sex drive?

The NHS calls erection problems "very common, particularly in men over 40", usually caused by stress, tiredness or drinking too much alcohol, and says to see a GP or go to a sexual health clinic if they keep happening; when frequent they may be caused by high blood pressure or cholesterol, diabetes, depression or anxiety, or hormone problems.²⁵ The NHS adds that low sex drive can be the result of stress, depression or anxiety.⁶ A Cochrane review of 9 trials in 587 men found ginseng raised erectile function scores by less than the reviewers set as meaningful, at low certainty; what ginseng is good for has the detail.²⁶ Maca has been tested in small trials: in 50 men with mild erection problems, 2.4 g of maca a day for 12 weeks raised erection scores 1.6 points against 0.5 on placebo; in 57 men aged 21 to 56, desire was higher than on placebo from week 8, with no change in testosterone.^{27, 28} The MHRA warns that unlicensed erection medicines "may contain no active ingredient, the wrong dose, hidden drugs or toxic ingredients", and advises speaking to a GP or pharmacist.²⁹ Cordyceps and shilajit have their own pages.

What is the best multivitamin for men, and how do you choose one?

No one multivitamin suits every man, so read the label against two numbers: the nutrient reference value (NRV), since a register wording needs at least 15% of it per serving, and the amount the trials used. Add up zinc and vitamin D across everything you take, against the NHS lines of 25 mg and 100 micrograms; the NHS also warns that high doses of zinc reduce the copper the body can absorb.^{1, 3} A 2021 review of the 16 most popular testosterone and 16 erection supplements in the US found 37 ingredients, 105 randomised trials of those ingredients and no published trial of any whole product.³⁰

Every guide in this series

• What is saw palmetto? Prostate and hair trials.
• What is pumpkin seed oil good for? Hair and urinary trials.
• Do testosterone supplements work? Ingredient by ingredient.
• How to increase testosterone naturally: weight, sleep, exercise and the myths.
• Low testosterone: symptoms, normal levels and the blood test.
• What does zinc do for men? Testosterone, fertility, prostate.
• Creatine for men: testosterone, hair and libido.
• Collagen for men: muscle, tendon, joint and skin.
• What does shilajit do for men? Testosterone and sperm.
• What is shilajit? Trials, doses and purity.
• Shilajit side effects, including heavy metals.
• What is ginseng good for?
• What cordyceps does for the body.
• Does zinc help with hair loss?
• Does creatine cause hair loss? The DHT trial.
• Is biotin good for hair growth?
• Thyroid supplements: iodine and selenium.
• The Wellgard ashwagandha guide: stress, sleep, men and women.
• The Wellgard vitamin D guide: amounts, forms and deficiency.

What we don't know

• No supplement raised live births in the largest male-fertility trial or the 2025 pooling of 50 trials.
• The one pumpkin seed oil hair trial had 76 men and was funded by the capsules' supplier, and the 2020 saw palmetto hair review could not separate what saw palmetto added on its own.
• The Cochrane saw palmetto review found no long-term side-effect data, and the ginseng trials followed men for 12 weeks at most.

Frequently asked questions

Should men take a multivitamin every day?

The one daily supplement the NHS advises everyone to consider is vitamin D, 10 micrograms in autumn and winter, and a multivitamin can carry it.¹ If you take one daily, check each nutrient against its NRV, and keep zinc under 25 mg and vitamin D under 100 micrograms a day across everything you take.^{1, 3}

What are the best supplements for men over 50?

Two have UK advice or trials behind them: vitamin D in autumn and winter, and creatine with resistance training, which added 1.37 kg of lean mass in trials of adults aged about 57 to 70.^{1, 8} An enlarged prostate is most common in men over 50, and the NHS says urinary symptoms should be checked by a GP.¹⁴

What are the "big 3" supplements?

Not an NHS or trial category. The three usually named are vitamin D, omega-3 and creatine or magnesium; the NHS advises vitamin D in winter, and the others have guides: what omega-3 is, creatine for men and how much magnesium you need.¹

Does testosterone cause hair loss?

Not on its own. Male pattern baldness "usually runs in the family", the NHS says, and a 2017 review traces it to androgens, testosterone among them, acting on genetically susceptible hair follicles.^{10, 31}

Why is fish oil no longer recommended?

Only in one sense: high-dose omega-3 capsules are not advised as a heart preventive for everyone, and the NHS advice of at least two portions of fish a week, one of them oily, has not changed. Why fish oil is no longer recommended sets out the trials.

Sources

1. NHS. Vitamin D. Page last reviewed 3 August 2020 (review overdue). nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d
2. Department of Health and Social Care. Great Britain nutrition and health claims (NHC) register, last updated 19 May 2026. gov.uk/government/publications/great-britain-nutrition-and-health-claims-nhc-register
3. NHS. Vitamins and minerals: others (magnesium, selenium, zinc). Page last reviewed 3 August 2020 (review overdue). nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/others
4. NHS. B vitamins and folic acid. Page last reviewed 3 August 2020 (review overdue). nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-b
5. Morgado A et al. International Journal of Impotence Research 2024. Systematic review of 52 studies, 27 ingredients. PubMed 37697053
6. NHS. The "male menopause". Page last reviewed 13 October 2022 (review overdue). nhs.uk/conditions/male-menopause
7. Fornalik M et al. Planta Medica 2026. Pooled analysis of 23 randomised trials, 1,706 adults. PubMed 41740946
8. Chilibeck PD et al. Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine 2017. Pooled analysis of 22 randomised trials, 721 adults, 7 to 52 weeks; no conflicts declared. PubMed 29138605
9. Bischof K et al. Sports Medicine 2024. Pooled analysis of 19 studies, 768 adults. PubMed 39060741
10. NHS. Hair loss. Page last reviewed 24 January 2024. nhs.uk/symptoms/hair-loss
11. Cho YH et al. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2014. Randomised trial, 76 men, 24 weeks; supplier-funded: the capsules' supplier funded it and held the randomisation codes. PubMed 24864154
12. Evron E et al. Skin Appendage Disorders 2020. Systematic review of 5 randomised trials and 2 cohort studies. PubMed 33313047
13. Lak M et al. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2025. Randomised trial, 45 men (38 finished), 12 weeks; no funding; authors declare supplement-industry advisory roles. PubMed 40265319
14. NHS. Enlarged prostate. Page last reviewed 8 April 2025. nhs.uk/conditions/enlarged-prostate
15. NHS. Symptoms of prostate cancer. Page last reviewed 31 July 2025. nhs.uk/conditions/prostate-cancer/symptoms
16. Franco JV et al. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2023. Systematic review of 27 randomised trials, 4,656 men. PubMed 37345871
17. NICE. CG97 Lower urinary tract symptoms in men: management. Published 23 May 2010, last updated 3 June 2015, last reviewed 19 December 2024; recommendation 1.8.1. nice.org.uk/guidance/cg97
18. Vela-Navarrete R et al. BJU International 2018. Pooled analysis of 27 studies (15 randomised, 12 observational), 5,800 men; one author works for the extract's manufacturer. PubMed 29694707
19. MHRA. Traditional herbal registrations list, 27 October 2025; page last updated 28 October 2025. gov.uk/government/publications/herbal-medicines-granted-a-traditional-herbal-registration-thr
20. Vahlensieck W et al. Urologia Internationalis 2015. Randomised trial, 1,431 men, 12 months. PubMed 25196580
21. NHS. Low sperm count. Page last reviewed 26 January 2024. nhs.uk/conditions/low-sperm-count
22. Schisterman EF et al. JAMA 2020. Randomised trial, 2,370 couples, 6 months; US government-funded. PubMed 31910279
23. Michaelsen MP et al. Nutrients 2025. Pooled analysis of 50 randomised trials. PubMed 40431450
24. NICE. NG257 Fertility problems: assessment and treatment. Published 31 March 2026; recommendation 1.24.6. nice.org.uk/guidance/ng257
25. NHS. Erectile dysfunction (impotence). Page last reviewed 28 July 2023 (review overdue). nhs.uk/conditions/erection-problems-erectile-dysfunction
26. Lee HW et al. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2021. Systematic review of 9 randomised trials, 587 men. PubMed 33871063
27. Zenico T et al. Andrologia 2009. Randomised trial, 50 men, 12 weeks; funding not in the record. PubMed 19260845
28. Gonzales GF et al. Andrologia 2002. Randomised trial, 57 men aged 21 to 56, 12 weeks; funding not in the abstract. PubMed 12472620
29. MHRA. News release on illegal erectile dysfunction medicines. Published 13 February 2026. gov.uk/government/news
30. Kuchakulla M et al. International Journal of Impotence Research 2021. Systematic review of 37 ingredients in 32 products, 105 randomised trials. PubMed 32358510
31. Lolli F et al. Endocrine 2017. Systematic review of studies published from 1916 to 2016. PubMed 28349362

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