With aging comes changes in how the body produces and absorbs various vitamins and minerals. By maintaining the proper levels of essential vitamins for men over 40, many age-related conditions can be averted. Additionally, poor eating and exercising patterns add to the problems that arise as men age. While proper diet and exercise can alleviate the need for supplements to get the necessary nutrients, vitamin supplements can provide some of the more important vitamins essential for men over 40.
B12
As they age, men and women both lose hydrochloric acid amounts in the stomach that are needed to absorb important nutrients and digest food properly. The acid reduction causes a deficiency in vitamin B12 in more than 25 percent of men by the age of 50. To maintain proper levels of B12, men should take 1,000 micrograms of a B12 supplement per day. Signs of vitamin B12 deficiency can begin as early as the late 40s in men and begins as memory loss, fatigue and joint pain. Many men experience tingling feet and hands when they lack essential vitamin B12 nutrients, report doctors at AARP Magazine.
B6
Vitamin B6 can be an important vitamin that men over 40 can take to reduce the risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia, commonly referred to as BPH. BPH is a non-cancerous prostate condition that is extremely uncomfortable and disruptive and affects sexual activity and urination. According to Dr. Steven Whiting in Healing with Nutrition, in addition to providing antioxidant benefits, vitamin B6 reduces prolactin levels that affect prostate activity and prevents the loss of testosterone. An average of 1.3 milligrams can help men maintain normal B6 levels.
Vitamin E
Cancer, heart disease, wrinkles and a myriad of other age-related conditions result from the environmental pollution men are exposed to through their lives. The free radicals created by smoking, air pollution and radiation are reduced by essential vitamin E nutrients. Doctors at AARP Magazine report that after the age of 40, men produce fewer antioxidants and increase the production of free radicals. It's difficult to get sufficient amounts of vitamin E from food. Men over 40 should take 200 to 400 international units (IU) per day to prevent damage from excessive free radicals.
Calcium
Men, much like women, experience bone loss after the age of 50 and may need to take calcium supplements to boost their bone density, report doctors at the Mayo Clinic. Men between the ages of 19 and 50 need about 1,000 milligrams of calcium and raise that to 1,200 after they turn 50. Vitamin D, needed to promote calcium absorption, also should be doubled in older men, from 200 international units (IU) to 400 IU.
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