You might still be at peak fitness and in great health, but several wellbeing risks come into sharper focus for most men over 40, from nutrient deficiencies to the dreaded middle-aged spread. The right approach to your diet – and a few key nutrients in particular – can ward off the worst effects and keep you feeling your best.
“As a man ages, he’ll need to think more about his metabolic health,” says registered nutritional therapist, Layla Gordon.
“It becomes especially important to keep blood sugar in balance, and find ways to reduce cholesterol and visceral fat. Some approaches to this include eating a Mediterranean diet, reducing intake of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and time-restricted eating.”
What to consider if you want to lose weight or improve health
We will identify some of the nutrients that target specific aspects of your health – but we need to set out some general dietary rules first.
“Reducing UPFs is important because a diet that’s high in these foods can cause nutritional deficiencies and changes in the gut microbiome and lining,” says Gordon.
“Men over 40 have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and UPFs are known to cause obesity, inflammation, pre-diabetes and other cardiovascular risk factors. So, I recommend reducing your UPFs intake to no more than 7-10% of calories per day.”
As well as cutting out highly processed foods, you might need to reduce your portion sizes. According to Gordon, this depends on factors including how active your lifestyle is, your metabolic health, and how your body stores fat.
“Men over 40 tend to accumulate fat around the middle, especially visceral fat which is stored around the organs, and it’s very important to keep this fat to a minimum,” says Gordon.
“If your waist is increasing, that’s a sign to reduce overall and visceral fat, and reducing portion sizes is likely to play a part in the weight loss needed.”
7 nutrients you need as a man over 40
Lycopene: friend to the prostate
Young men tend not to pay much attention to the prostate – an important gland which dwells in the hinterlands of the male reproductive system. It should be near the top of our wellbeing checklist, as the prostate is the locus of several health conditions including prostate cancer, which directly affects one in six men in the UK.
According to nutritionist, Holly Dunn, one important nutrient to target for better prostate health is lycopene.
“It’s a type of carotenoid, which is a class of fat-soluble plant-derived pigments that give fruits and vegetables their vibrant colours,” Dunn explains.
“It is responsible for the red and pink colours in foods like tomatoes, watermelon and pink grapefruit.”
There are many potential benefits to getting enough lycopene including improvements to your cardiovascular and cellular health, but the nutrient is particularly notable for its link to the prostate.
“Lycopene accumulates in the prostate and is strongly linked to reduced risk of prostate cancer in observational studies,” says Dunn, “and it may also help manage symptoms of an enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia) and support healthy prostate function.”
According to Dunn, the best dietary sources of lycopene are cooked tomato products such as canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato juice, tomato purée and tomato paste.
“These are the most bioavailable sources because heat processing makes the lycopene easier for our body to absorb,” she says.
“Consuming these foods with a small amount of fat (like olive oil) can further enhance absorption, as lycopene is a fat-soluble compound.”
If you’re not keen on tomatoes, you can look to alternative (but less potent) lycopene sources such as watermelon, pink grapefruit, guava and apricots.
Zinc: guardian of masculinity
At some point between the ages of 30 and 40, most men’s testosterone levels begin to decline at a rate of about 1% per year. This hormone is important to our body composition, fertility, energy levels and mood.
“Zinc increases testosterone, so taking on more of this nutrient can arrest the decline,” says Gordon.
“Supplements are cheap but you can get zinc from high-quality proteins including seafood, grass-fed meat and organic eggs. Weight-bearing exercises will help with testosterone levels, too,” she adds.
Omega-3: lifter of gloom
It’s a sad fact that men in their forties have an elevated risk of mental illness. The 40-44 bracket has the highest suicide rate of any age (or gender) group in the UK.
As well as leaning on tools like counselling, exercise and talking to friends or support groups, we can also look to our diet for a helping hand towards better mental health.
“Focus on good fats, nuts, seeds, eggs, olive oil, berries and leafy veg, as these foods support brain health,” says Gordon.
“Omega-3 is particularly helpful, as it is anti-inflammatory and can help calm the mind.” Good sources of this fatty acid include salmon, mackerel and walnuts.
Meanwhile, Gordon recommends cutting down on foods linked to inflammation, which is associated with numerous mental illnesses. These foods include sugars, sweeteners, artificial additives and low-quality meats.
Iron, B12 and protein: nourishers of hair
By the age of 50, over half of men will have experienced at least some degree of hair loss or thinning. This is often down to genetics, but nutrition may help with certain types of hair loss.
“Men over 40 most commonly experience androgenetic alopecia (male pattern hair loss), which is hormonally driven and not treatable through nutrition alone,” says Marta Teixeira, certified trichologist and CliniHair founder.
“However, a type of hair loss called telogen effluvium (TE) can be triggered by deficiencies of nutrients including iron, or very low calorie intake. In men over 40, this is particularly relevant as the efficiency of nutrient absorption declines with age, and chronic conditions or medications can further deplete essential nutrients.”
If you suspect that a nutritional deficiency could be affecting your hair health, Teixeira advises following a balanced, whole-food diet targeting specific nutrients.
“Ferritin levels below 40 micrograms per litre of blood are associated with hair loss, while optimal levels for hair growth appear to be >70 μg/L, so you may benefit from increasing your iron intake,” she says.
“Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause diffuse hair loss and is often overlooked, particularly in men with malabsorption issues or dietary restrictions, while inadequate protein intake compromises hair structure and may lead to TE hair loss in severe cases.”
Fibre: supporter of digestion
Fibre is key for digestive health as many types (especially soluble) are fermented by gut bacteria, this creates small molecules called short-chain fatty acids that nourish the gut lining.
It’s also known to reduce constipation, improve heart health and reduce the risk of colon cancer, so adding more fibre to your diet is surely worth the additional farts it might provoke. A reminder that gas is a normal side effect to your digestive system working.
“Look at increasing your diversity of fruits and veg to give you different types of fibre,” Gordon advises.
“Aiming for a colourful array, including dark purples, reds, yellows and oranges is a good way to increase your intake of beneficial nutrients that are anti-inflammatory and gut-bacteria-loving.”
Looking after yourself now is key
Everyone meets their share of challenges by the age of 40 – but we also have opportunities to stay fitter, happier and healthier. Upping your intake of nutrients like lycopene, zinc, omega-3 and fibre will help tip the balance towards the positive.
The ground rules we’ve mentioned above are important. Be mindful of your waist, portion sizes and the proportion of UPFs in your diet to ensure you have a healthy basis to build your diet around.
Men are sometimes said to be reluctant towards self-care – whether that means going to an appointment, opening up about mental health or making dietary changes. But ultimately, the better we look after ourselves, the more we can do for those around us. Eating some tasty, healthy food surely isn’t a bad place to start.
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