5 Best Vitamins For Energy & Tiredness 2023
Updated on
- Written by Karla Tafra, Nutritionist
Medically reviewed by
Dr G. Michael DiLeo, MD
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Care/of
- Tailored to each individual
- Available app tracking and monitoring
- Effective, bioavailable, and sustainable ingredients
Life Extension
- Clinically researched ingredients for health
- Free expert advice from a wellness specialist
- Free shipping when signed for auto-ship
MegaFood
- Non-GMO ingredients to increase energy levels
- Suitable for vegans and gluten-free
- Unique Slo-Food™ process for tablets
We’re supposed to get all of our vitamins from the food we eat, but unfortunately, that’s almost impossible in today’s world. With soil depletion, environmental toxins, stress, and pollution, our food is severely lacking in nutrients.[1]
That’s why vitamin supplementation has become crucial for optimizing our health and longevity. We need it for increasing our energy production, reducing stress[2] and mental and physical fatigue, improve the health[3] of our blood and nerve cells, promoting our metabolism, improving our cardiovascular and digestive system,[4] optimize hormone health, and protecting against chronic inflammation and disease.[5]
But maybe even most of all, we need them to help us keep our energy levels high for the ability to perform all of our daily activities and functions in the most efficient and effective way.
Best Vitamins For Energy & Tiredness On The Market In (September. 2023)
- Care/of – Editor’s Choice
- Life Extension – Best Variety
- MegaFood – Best For Purity And Transparency
- Optimum Nutrition – Best For The Active Lifestyle
- Nature Way’s Alive – Best Budget-Friendly
What Vitamins Are Good For Energy?
Vitamins are amazing for boosting[6] your energy levels as they are supplied from the food you eat and converted into energy, helping reduce stress and inflammation, cleanse your body of toxins, and allowing you to use your nutrient resources for energy production.
They also help transport oxygen from your lungs to the organs and tissues throughout your body, promoting better nutrient absorption and a variety of metabolic processes.
Your lifestyle factors definitely influence how certain vitamins and minerals will be absorbed, but knowing which vitamins help create energy in your cells will help you make better choices when choosing your supplements. Some of the best vitamins for increasing your energy levels are vitamin B 12 and other B vitamins, i.e., B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, vitamin D, vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin A.
They work well when taken by themselves, but there are a plethora of already pre-curated multivitamin formulas that feature additional nutrients to help keep your energy levels on an optimal level.
How many vitamins you actually need depends on your lifestyle habits, but even taking a pre-curated formula can already make a huge difference in your energy levels.
Those who benefit the most from taking vitamins for improving their energy levels are older adults, growing kids, pregnant and breastfeeding women, active individuals, athletes, and those with a diagnosed medical condition (especially autoimmune diseases), all of which lower the ability to absorb nutrients.
When Do You Need Vitamins For Energy?
The demands of everyone’s busy and stressful lifestyles are resulting in the overall depletion of energy. Even with a decent amount of exercise, paying attention to your sleeping patterns, and eating balanced meals, you can still find it hard to maintain your energy levels throughout the day.
Fortunately, that’s where supplements come in and help you boost energy levels in a very natural and healthy way, enhancing the conversion of carbohydrates and fatty acids into energy and fuel. With it, they improve your cognitive performance, relieve fatigue and tiredness, improve muscle weakness, promote the creation of new red blood cells, improve muscle and nerve function, and do wonders for cardiovascular and hormone health.
With so many brands out there, here are our favorite picks.
5 Best Vitamins For Energy And Tiredness In 2023
Care/of
If you’re looking for personalized vitamin curation, Care/of is a great brand to explore and start your journey toward an increase in your energy levels.
- Tailored to each individual
- Available app tracking and monitoring
- Effective, bioavailable, and sustainable ingredients
- The brand doesn’t offer a consultation with a registered dietitian or nutritionist
- No third-party testing
Care/of is a subscription service that, based on a detailed questionnaire, curates a special individualized mix of vitamins, proteins, collagen, and other nutrients tailored specifically to your needs. The questionnaire gives a lot of information about your lifestyle, and it helps shine a light on which areas upon which you need to focus.
Once your plan has been created, they help you stick to it through their app to help you stay on track. They even offer rewards for being consistent and working on your health goals, fighting mental and physical fatigue, and improving your energy production.
They claim their ingredients are effective, bioavailable, and sustainable, with transparent insight into the background process and research. Still, their products aren’t third-party tested, so whether or not the claims will hold true depends on the experience of the individual. Their testimonials and ratings are great, so that does instill confidence.
Their vitamins range from B complex and vitamin B12 to vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin A, with additional amino acids, antioxidants, collagen, and a variety of minerals to help improve your energy levels, support energy metabolism, lower physical fatigue and help tackle other deficiencies such as magnesium deficiency and iron deficiency.
The price depends on the type and number of dietary supplements selected, and the products range from $5 to $32 for a month’s supply, with free shipping on orders over $20.
Additionally, they offer $5 “quick sticks” of pre-curated nutrients for when you’re on the go and need a booster. These little supplement packs are an amazing addition to your diet, especially when traveling, parenting a small baby, or simply having an extremely busy week.
Life Extension
Life Extension is a great brand that offers a plethora of high-quality vitamin products to help increase your energy production and lower physical and mental stress.
- Clinically researched ingredients for health
- Free expert advice from a wellness specialist
- Free shipping when signed for auto-ship
- Products may be more expensive than comparable brands.
- Not curated for your individual needs
Even though they’re not designed into a unique formulation to target your specific needs, Life Extension’s huge variety of high-quality products ranges from all letter vitamins (B vitamins and vitamin B12, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin D, and C), minerals (such as magnesium, calcium, zinc, iron, and potassium), and antioxidants (such as resveratrol and ashwagandha) to prebiotics, probiotics, and skincare.
They also offer specific recommendations for reaching a specific goal, such as weight loss, anti-aging, bone health, heart health, brain health, sleep, cognitive performance, stress management, and more. This is perfect for beginners who don’t know what type of dietary supplement they need but know which goal they want to achieve.
They also offer many lab tests that can help you figure out what type of dietary supplements you’re lacking for which you should be taking more. They have everything from chemistry and blood count, hormone panels, and vitamin D levels to cholesterol levels, immune function, blood sugar, and blood clotting.
The price for the products depends on what you choose to buy, but they offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee to send any back if you’re not happy or satisfied with the results. This is always a great sign of how much the brand is confident in the quality of its products.
MegaFood
Megafood’s nine certifications for purity and safety make it a trustworthy and safe vitamin brand with a huge variety of products.
- Non-GMO ingredients that increase energy levels
- Suitable for vegans and gluten-free
- Unique Slo-Food™ process for tablets
- Doesn’t offer consultation with a health professional
- Not tailored to your exact needs
Depending on your goal, you can easily find a Megafood formula that will work for you and meet your needs. Even though not formulated for tailored you specifically, their formulas are potent and of high quality, ensuring non-GMO practices. They cover everything from B vitamins, including B12, and vitamins D, C, E, and A, and omega-3 fatty acids, to zinc, melatonin, magnesium, and hormone health boosters.
Their products are all gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, suitable for vegans, and kosher-certified. They’re also a certified B corporation, meaning they use business as a force for good™. They have a variety of campaigns that focus on planet health, empowerment, and other social matters.
Megafood uses a special Slo-Food™ process for tablets. This approach means they squish, smush, and smash fresh vegetables and fruit. The pulp is then processed through a series of tanks where they add more vitamins and minerals for potency. Finally, the mixture is dried using a special Refractance Window Drying™ technology, after which it’s tumbled into powder and pressed into tablets.
Each Megafood price depends on the product and amount, and with a wide variety of available options, there’s something for everyone. Just choose your desired health goal (women’s health, men’s health, prenatal and postnatal, kid’s health, immune function, or sleep and stress), and they’ll recommend their best-selling products for you to try.
Optimum Nutrition
One of the most popular supplement brands, Optimum Nutrition has special blends of active ingredients for active individuals–perfect for those who consider exercise as their self-care time.
- Highly-trusted supplements brand
- Geared toward active individuals
- High-potency blends
- Not tailored toward the individual
- Only four products are available
Even though there are only four products available to purchase, Optimum Nutrition formulas come with raving reviews. Their OPTI-MEN multivitamin contains 75+ active ingredients such as vitamin B12, B3, vitamin E, vitamin D, and vitamin A, in four different blends specifically designed to support the nutrient needs of active men. On the other hand, their OPTI-WOMEN formula has 40 active ingredients, including 23 vitamins and minerals designed to support the nutrient needs of active women.
Optimum Nutrition delivers high-quality and high-potency blends of nutrients that boost energy production, protect muscle and nerve function, improve mood, increase the production of red blood cells, and act as a perfect ally to a healthy diet.
In addition to these blends, Optimum Nutrition offers a variety of other highly potent products to help with muscle fatigue, increase muscle mass, improve your immune system, balance out poor sleep, and help release stored energy in your muscles.
The price ranges from $21 – $32 for a month’s supply, so their products are affordable.
Nature’s Way Alive
Nature’s Way Alive has extremely potent and affordable multivitamin formulas which make it easy to hit your daily goals without taking a variety of different pills.
- High-potency multivitamins to increase energy levels
- Different types of forms, from liquid and pill to gummies and specialty formulas
- Pre-curated multivitamin mix without a tailored approach
- Can cause some nausea and digestive problems due to high-potency
Get your daily intake of vitamins and minerals through Nature’s Way Alive potent multivitamin formulas. They have a wide array of products, from calcium and vitamin B complex to specific formulas for immunity, iron deficiency anemia, men’s and women’s health, pregnancy, and even for kids.
The brand claims to support “ten key aspects of aging, including brain function, heart health, muscle function, and healthy skin” with the goal of optimizing your life to live more vibrantly. Satisfied customers report higher energy levels, better focus and clarity, improved mood, less tiredness and fatigue, and better sleep.
Your energy production definitely slows down as you age. When a brand focuses on supporting all aspects of aging, taking their special supplement blends offers great promise in tackling each issue simultaneously.
Nature’s Way Alive products are affordable when compared with other brands on the market and, depending on which exact formula you take, they can range from $12 to $35. This makes it easy to start taking vitamins to boost your energy production without breaking the bank.
Benefits Of Vitamins For Energy
Getting all of the nutrients your body needs from food alone is almost impossible, and supplementing with vitamin blends[7] can bring on a variety of health benefits:
- Enhance your body’s resilience[8] to physical and mental stress
- Help prevent fatigue[9] and tiredness
- Are involved in the production of hormones[10]
- Help increase absorption of calcium from food
- Support muscle function
- Boost moods via brain chemistry regulation
- Increase energy production by aiding in the metabolism of carbohydrates for fuel[11]
- Improve physical performance
- Improve cognitive function
Some of the most important vitamins for energy production include the following:
- Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) – helps turn the food you eat into energy[12]
- Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) – also helps in turning carbohydrates into energy; itsdeficiency causes weakness and tiredness[13]
- Vitamin B3 (Niacin) – helps convert food into energy, repairs DNA damage,[14] and may reduce blood pressure[15]
- Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid) – is used to make coenzyme A which breaks down fatty acids[16] and converts them into energy; it also, lowers cholesterol and triglycerides and promotes heart health
- Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) – assists more than 100 enzymes[17] in their processes that break down protein, fat, and carbs into energy; supports immune function and brain health
- Vitamin B9 (Folate/Folic acid) – helps form DNA and RNA;[18] it’s involved in protein metabolism and helps produce healthy red blood cells
- Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) – keeps your blood and nerve cells healthy and thriving[19] and creates and repairs DNA damage
- Vitamin D – enhances the activity of energy-producing mitochondria[20] in the cells
- Vitamin E – helps protect your body from free radicals[21] and increases immune function, boosting mood and energy levels
- Vitamin A – studies show[22] an increase of ATP production in the mitochondria and with it, cellular energy production
- Vitamin C – boosts the immune system[23] and improves mood and energy levels
In addition to these letter vitamins, there are other compounds that aid in increasing your energy levels. These include magnesium, iron, calcium, potassium, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, and a variety of antioxidants and adaptogens such as resveratrol, kava, ashwagandha, Rhodiola, CoQ10, and others.
Potential Side Effects
Even though vitamin supplements deliver many health benefits, there’s always a possibility of experiencing some side effects.[24] The most common:
- Restlessness
- Itching
- Redness
- Nausea
- Excessive sweating
- Warmth
- Joint pain
- Dizziness
- Diarrhea and other digestive discomforts
- Sore throat
- Abdominal pain
- Depression
How To Choose The Best Vitamins For Energy?
When choosing a brand you can trust, there are some important things to look for when buying vitamins for energy. These include
- Quality of ingredients – you want to make sure the ingredients come from a trusted source that you can easily identify
- The potency of ingredients – unless your vitamins are potent enough, you won’t be able to feel the change in your energy levels
- Clinically proven ingredients – since FDA does not regulate supplements, it’s important to choose a brand that’s done its due diligence and rigorously tested its ingredients. They should provide biochemical and clinical evidence of their efficacy and potency.
- The absence of GMO ingredients, fillers, colorings, or other artificial additives, since these compounds can cause overall inflammation and serious side-effects
- The absence of common allergens: it would be best to choose a brand that’s certified gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free, in order to prevent any potential allergic reactions
- Form preference – If you like taking your supplements in liquid form or gummies more than swallowing tablets, look for a brand that offers your preferred options
Final Thought
Vitamins and minerals are crucial for optimal energy metabolism and with it, your overall health and well-being. Since getting enough of them from even the most balanced diet is almost impossible, taking high-quality supplements can be extremely beneficial.
Choose those brands with clean, highly potent ingredients that will help boost your energy levels and fight mental fatigue every single day.
Frequently Asked Questions
The best vitamins for energy are all B vitamins, including vitamin B12, vitamin D, vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin C.
Whenever you feel like everything else you’re doing isn’t working. You might be optimizing your sleep, eating healthy, and exercising, but still experiencing low energy levels, fatigue, and tiredness, as well as mineral deficiencies such as magnesium deficiency or iron deficiency.
Other than boosting your energy production, these letter vitamins do so much more. They promote heart health, bone health, and brain health, improve digestion, balance out hormones, increase cellular energy production, and keep nerve cells healthy.
Like with all supplements, there’s always the possibility of side effects. These include restlessness, itching, redness, nausea, excessive sweating, warmth, joint pain, dizziness, diarrhea and other digestive discomforts, sore throat, abdominal pain, and depression.
No, there is no rule that states you need to take vitamin supplements. They exist to help you increase your energy production and enhance the effects of your balanced diet and lifestyle habits. Alone, they won’t do much.
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Health Canal avoids using tertiary references. We have strict sourcing guidelines and rely on peer-reviewed studies, academic researches from medical associations and institutions. To ensure the accuracy of articles in Health Canal, you can read more about the editorial process here
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Written by:
Karla Tafra, Nutritionist
Medically reviewed by:
Medically reviewed by:
