Can Men Take Women's Vitamins and Vice Versa — What's the Difference?

Many people choose to take supplements in an effort to support their health. Multivitamins are some of the most popular, and they're often marketed toward men or women.

When you look at men's versus women's vitamins, there are a few key differences. Truthfully, you probably don't need them. But if you do want to take men's or women's vitamins, here's what you need to know.

Honestly, not much. Men need more of certain nutrients and less of others compared to women. Nutrient needs are based on the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) set by the Food and Nutrition Board.

The RDA for a given nutrient may be different based on a person's sex or age. On food and supplement labels, you'll see the DV listed, and not the RDA, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The DV "is often, but not always similar" to the RDA of a nutrient, per the NIH.

Supplement companies make separate multivitamin formulas for men and women because the RDA for many vitamins and minerals are different. Besides needing less folate and iron, men need more of many vitamins and minerals.

For example, men need 900 micrograms of vitamin A, while women need 700 micrograms, according to the National Academies of Medicine. Men need 15 more milligrams daily of vitamin C, an extra 30 micrograms of vitamin K and an additional 3 milligrams of zinc. They also need more niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, choline and chromium.

As with most things today, you have a lot of choices when it comes to vitamins. Supplement manufacturers now offer formulas for women, men and older adults. These claim to provide amounts of nutrients that offer special benefits for each specific group.

Men's multivitamins will provide more of most vitamins and minerals than women's multivitamins. For example, men's vitamins like Centrum's One-a-Day for Men have high amounts of the mineral selenium and it contains the antioxidant nutrient lycopene, which is associated with protection against prostate cancer, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Centrum's One-a-Day for Women has more of the B vitamin folate, which is an important nutrient for reproductive health and pregnancy, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. This women's vitamin also provides more iron, as women need more of the mineral to compensate for the losses during menstruation.

Men won't quite get the RDA of many nutrients by taking a women's multivitamin, but that's not really a health risk. The main problem for men taking women's multivitamins is getting too much iron. A women's multivitamin with the RDA for iron — 18 milligrams — provides more than double the 8 milligrams men need each day.

Iron serves many important functions in the body. But, as with many nutrients, too much can have negative effects. When iron stores build up in the body, it can damage your organs and lead to life-threatening conditions, such as liver problems and heart disease, per the Mayo Clinic.

The truth is, you probably don't need to take multivitamins. Many experts say there's really no benefit to popping a daily pill, and research shows that multivitamins don't live up to the hype that they can help prevent disease, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Data from studies involving nearly 740,000 participants found "little or no benefit" to taking multivitamins to prevent cancer or heart disease, per a June 2022 systematic review published in ‌JAMA‌.

Improving your diet is likely a better bet than taking multivitamins. People think of multivitamins as a sort of "nutritional insurance," but they can't make up for a diet lacking in nutrients. Most people can get all the nutrition they need from food.

Instead of spending money on supplements, fill your plate with nutrient-rich, high-quality foods, including:

• Fresh fruits and vegetables, organic if possible
• Hormone-free, grass-fed beef and dairy
• Hormone-free, cage-free poultry and eggs
• Fresh fish and seafood
• Whole grains
• Nuts, seeds and beans
• Healthy sources of fat such as olive oil and avocado

Eating well-balanced meals throughout the day and avoiding non-nutritive foods will help you meet all of your nutritional requirements in most cases.

First of all, it's important to visit your health care provider before taking vitamins. Your doctor can recommend if you should get your blood tested to determine if you're actually deficient in any nutrient. Even if you are deficient, you don't necessarily need a multivitamin.

If your doctor determines that you do have a deficiency, short or long-term supplementation might be recommended to address the issue. But, in the case of a deficiency, it's only necessary to replace the nutrient you're lacking.

Taking a multivitamin on top of that may just give you a lot of additional stuff your body doesn't really need.

There are some times when taking vitamins may be beneficial, such as before and during pregnancy, according to Harvard Health Publishing.

In fact, it's suggested that people who are trying to become pregnant start taking prenatal vitamins up to a month before trying to conceive, as nutrient needs are higher before and during pregnancy.

Iron deficiency is common (especially among women), and in many cases, supplements are recommended to bring blood levels back up to normal. As always, check with your doctor if you suspect you're deficient before buying iron supplements.

According to the American Society of Hematology, you're more at risk for iron-deficiency anemia if you:

• Menstruate, particularly if menstrual periods are heavy
• Are pregnant, breastfeeding or have recently given birth
• Recently had major surgery or physical trauma
• Have a gastrointestinal disease, such as celiac, inflammatory bowel disease or Crohn's disease
• Have peptic ulcer disease
• Have had a bariatric procedure, especially gastric bypass
• Eat a vegetarian or vegan diet

People assume that adding vitamins to their routine is automatically healthy, but as we've discussed, that's not always the case. In fact, taking too much of certain vitamins could actually do you harm.

We already talking about the risks of taking too much iron, and according to Harvard Health Publishing:

• High doses of beta carotene, a precursor to vitamin A that's found in many vitamin products, have been linked to a greater risk of lung cancer in smokers.
• Too much calcium and vitamin D may increase the risk of kidney stones.
• High doses of vitamin E may cause bleeding in the brain and lead to stroke.
• Too much vitamin K can interfere with the anti-clotting effects of blood thinners.
• Taking high amounts of vitamin B6 for a year or longer has been linked to nerve damage that can affect how your body moves.

If you absolutely insist on taking vitamins of any kind, talk to your doctor first. And if you get the OK, it could benefit you to take one that's made specifically for men or women because of the differences in nutritional needs.

If you're going to take a women's multivitamin, make sure it doesn't have more iron than you need. This is especially true if you eat a lot of red meat, which is high in heme iron — a highly absorbable form of the mineral. This is another reason it's best to have your blood levels checked before taking supplements.

With the exception of iron and folate (or folic acid), men's vitamins are higher in nutrients and may exceed the RDA for women. Because there are risks associated with taking too much of some vitamins, women should avoid men's vitamins, and men should avoid women's vitamins that are too high in iron and folate.