Quick answer

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble nutrient that works as an antioxidant. Adults need 15 mg a day, or 19 mg while breastfeeding, and vitamin E from food is not a concern. High-dose supplements have not shown the long-term health gains hoped for, and adults should stay under 1,000 mg a day from supplements.^1,2

Key facts

Most Americans' diets fall short of 15 mg a day, yet clear signs of a shortage are very rare in healthy people.^1,2
Synthetic vitamin E, labeled dl-alpha-tocopherol, is half as active as natural d-alpha-tocopherol.²
Vitamin E-only supplements commonly hold 67 mg or more, several times the recommended amount.²
Vitamin E can increase the chance of bleeding in people who take blood thinners such as warfarin.¹

What vitamin E does

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant that stops the production of reactive oxygen species formed when fat undergoes oxidation.²

Free radicals form when the body turns food into energy, and people also meet them in cigarette smoke, air pollution and ultraviolet light from the sun.¹

Vitamin E is the name for eight related compounds, four tocopherols and four tocotrienols. Alpha-tocopherol is the only form recognized to meet human requirements.²

After the forms of vitamin E are absorbed, the liver sends mainly alpha-tocopherol back into the blood and breaks down the others, so blood and cells hold far less of the other forms.²

NIH also notes roles in cell signaling and in widening blood vessels, much of it shown in laboratory studies of cells rather than in people.^1,2

What the evidence shows

The European Union's review of vitamin E accepted one nutrient-function statement, about protecting cells from oxidative stress. That statement and the intake statement below are graded moderate: they describe well-established roles of a nutrient, not measured health outcomes.³

Helps protect cells from oxidative stress*^1,2,3

Moderate evidence

This is a well-established nutrient function. NIH describes vitamin E as a fat-soluble antioxidant that stops the production of reactive oxygen species when fat is oxidized, and EU regulators permit the statement that vitamin E contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress for foods that are at least a source of it. It describes a normal function, not a measured health outcome. Large trials of high-dose vitamin E supplements did not show the long-term health benefits that were hoped for.

Amount studied: The recommended intake: 15 mg a day for adults, from food and supplements together

Helps you reach the recommended daily vitamin E intake*^1,2,4

Moderate evidence

National surveys have found that the diets of most Americans provide less vitamin E than the recommended 15 mg a day, although the estimates may be low because fats added in cooking are often not counted, and clear signs of a shortage are very rare in healthy people. In a study of 90,771 adults, vitamins A and E and zinc were the nutrients whose intakes rose most when multivitamins were counted. A typical once-daily multivitamin supplies about 13.5 mg.

Amount studied: Recommended intake: 15 mg a day for adults and 19 mg while breastfeeding, from all sources

Large randomized trials of vitamin E supplements, mostly in middle-aged and older adults, have not shown that routine use brings long-term health benefits.^1,2

Those trials typically used 400 to 600 IU daily or every other day, far above the recommended amount. NIH also finds little evidence that vitamin E supplements help healthy older people keep their memory and thinking sharp.^1,2

How much you need

Adults and teens 14 and older need 15 mg of vitamin E a day, including during pregnancy.^1,2

Breastfeeding teens and women need 19 mg of vitamin E a day.^1,2

A typical once-daily multivitamin holds about 13.5 mg, close to the recommended amount, while many vitamin E-only products hold several times as much. The dosage guide converts IU labels and lists the amounts by age.¹

Natural and synthetic forms

Natural vitamin E is usually labeled d-alpha-tocopherol and synthetic vitamin E dl-alpha-tocopherol. The synthetic form is half as active by weight, so 1 mg of vitamin E equals 1 mg of the natural form or 2 mg of the synthetic form.^1,2

Supplements often use alpha-tocopheryl acetate or succinate, which last longer on the shelf. The body absorbs these esters as efficiently as alpha-tocopherol itself.²

Some supplements contain gamma-tocopherol, tocotrienols or mixed tocopherols. Scientists do not know whether any of these is better than alpha-tocopherol in supplements.¹

Food sources

Wheat germ oil is the richest common source, with 20.3 mg per tablespoon. Sunflower oil has 5.6 mg and safflower oil 4.6 mg per tablespoon, and corn and soybean oils provide smaller amounts.^1,2

Dry-roasted sunflower seeds have 7.4 mg per ounce, almonds 6.8 mg and hazelnuts 4.3 mg. Peanut butter has 2.9 mg in 2 tablespoons and peanuts 2.2 mg per ounce.²

Vitamin E that is naturally present in food and drinks has not been found to cause harm and does not need to be limited.^1,2

What's in ours

What’s in ours

Men's Multi: Vitamin E, 13.5 mg per serving, from the label
Immune Support: Vitamin E, 15 mg per serving, from the label

Our multivitamin uses the synthetic form, dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate, and the other product listed above uses the natural form, d-alpha-tocopheryl acetate. Both labels give the amount in mg of vitamin E, and neither is above the 15 mg a day recommended for adults.²

Vitamin E oil on the skin

Vitamin E applied to the skin can cause allergic contact dermatitis. Of 38,699 people patch tested in North America from 2001 to 2016, 0.9% reacted to it, most often from moisturizers and other personal care products.⁵

For scars, the trial evidence is thin. A 2016 review of six studies judged it too weak to justify the widespread use of vitamin E on its own, and two of the studies reported contact dermatitis, itching or rash.⁶

Side effects, medicines, and who should ask first

High doses of vitamin E supplements might increase the risk of bleeding, by reducing the blood's ability to clot after a cut or injury, and of serious bleeding in the brain (hemorrhagic stroke).^1,2

The upper limit for vitamin E from supplements is 1,000 mg a day for adults, the same as 1,500 IU of the natural form or 1,100 IU of the synthetic form, and it is set because of the risk of bleeding. It is lower for children and teens: 200 mg at ages 1 to 3, 300 mg at 4 to 8, 600 mg at 9 to 13 and 800 mg at 14 to 18. Vitamin E in food does not need to be limited.^1,2

Ask your pharmacist or doctor first

Vitamin E can slow the clumping of platelets and work against the clotting factors that depend on vitamin K. Taking large doses with an anticoagulant or antiplatelet medicine, such as warfarin, can therefore increase the risk of bleeding, especially when vitamin K intake is low. NIH says the amount needed to cause a clinically significant effect is not known.^1,2

Expected from how the two work, not shown in studies

NIH names two more situations. A mix of antioxidants that included vitamin E blunted the rise in HDL cholesterol in people taking simvastatin with niacin, and oncologists generally advise against antioxidant supplements during chemotherapy or radiotherapy. The orlistat label adds that orlistat cut the absorption of a vitamin E supplement by about 60%.^2,7

Ask first if you take a blood thinner such as warfarin, or an antiplatelet medicine
Ask first if you are having chemotherapy or radiotherapy
Ask first if you take simvastatin with niacin, or orlistat
Ask first if you have a bleeding disorder, or a condition such as Crohn's disease or cystic fibrosis that affects fat absorption
Ask first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding and are considering more than a multivitamin's amount

Questions people ask

What does vitamin E do for your skin?

Taken by mouth, vitamin E's accepted role is protecting cells from oxidative stress, and the EU's list has no skin statement for it. Applied to the skin, it has not been shown to make scars look better, and some people react to it with an allergic rash.^3,5,6

Does vitamin E help the immune system?

NIH notes that vitamin E is involved in immune function, but the EU's review did not accept an immune statement for vitamin E. We make no immune claim for it.^2,3

What should men know about vitamin E?

Men need the same 15 mg a day as women. In the SELECT trial, men who took 400 IU (180 mg) of synthetic vitamin E daily had a 17% higher rate of prostate cancer than men on placebo, one reason not to take high doses without advice.²

Is natural vitamin E better than synthetic?

By weight, yes: the synthetic form is half as active, so 2 mg of it counts as 1 mg of vitamin E. Other forms, such as mixed tocopherols or tocotrienols, have not been shown to be better than alpha-tocopherol.^1,2

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Sources

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.