Why you should boost your vitamin and mineral intake.

From designer probiotics for your gut to marine collagen for your skin, we have come a long way from the gargantuan multivitamin pills you struggled to swallow as a child. The global market for nutritional supplements is expected to reach $278.02bn by 2024 due to an overstressed population that has become a touch neurotic about safeguarding themselves against ageing, disease and illness.

Having said that, the law prohibits manufacturers from claiming that a supplement can cure, treat or prevent a disease. This has encouraged brands to get creative with their wording and, in doing so, confuse consumers who are already torn between cynicism and a desire to self-improve.

Couple this with the ever-changing tides of medicine (vitamin E was initially thought to protect the heart, but we now know it increases the risk of haemorrhagic strokes) and it’s no wonder many men wonder whether they need to bother with a supplement at all.

We highlight three reasons why you might want to consider popping a pill.

It’s all very well saying that a healthy diet nullifies the necessity for supplements. It does. And yet the crops available to our grandparents were much higher in vitamins and minerals than the ones we have today. Even in 1992, when the Rio Earth Summit took place and its report published, European soil was estimated to be 72 per cent less nutrient-rich than it was in the 1930s. That figure was mirrored in both Asia (76 per cent) and North America (85 per cent).

Harvesting techniques and intensive farming have stripped the soil of nutrients so that we can have access to aesthetically pleasing, fast-growing and pest-resistant crops. So, even if you’re eating a varied diet, there’s a good chance it still has some gaping holes that could be corrected by the right supplement.

If you’re training for a marathon or participating in the insanity that is CrossFit, you’ll be pushing your body to the extreme on a fairly regular basis. Doing so will create a deficit in your vitamin and mineral consumption that needs to be corrected in order to boost recovery and performance.

Spanish tennis pro Mr Rafael Nadal and British swimmer Ms Aimee Willmott, for example, swig Totum Sport, a 100 per cent natural sports drink made from mineral-rich plankton blooms that replenishes electrolytes, helps stabilise blood sugar and reduces the risk of cramps. And since the body cannot produce all of the vitamins, minerals and amino acids that it needs and takes in what it requires through external food sources, a sports drink or protein shake that provides a full range of minerals and trace elements helps to maximise your body’s recovery and reduce the risk of injury.

Nutritionist Ms Lily Souter says that our protein needs can typically be met with a good diet. “The problem is that most men lead busy lifestyles, and the practicality of obtaining the right amount of protein from your diet may not be easy,” she says. “Protein powders have their place because they are a quick and easy way to ensure that optimal quantities are consumed and at the right times of day.”

There are male-specific concerns that become more disquieting with age. Sperm quality, testosterone levels and prostate health are somewhere at the top of that list. Since prostate cells accumulate more zinc than cells anywhere else in the body, it’s worth supplementing with zinc as you age.

“Low levels of zinc have also been linked to a low sperm count and reduced testosterone levels,” says Ms Souter, who advises getting the mineral from a good multivitamin. “Selenium is also worth considering because it is needed for normal sperm production and development.”

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