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Ingredient guide

Best time to take vitamin E: with a meal that has some fat

Written by the Full Measure editorial team, which sells supplements. Approved for publication by the Full Measure owners. Updated .

Drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed below. How we write these

Quick answer

Take vitamin E with a meal that contains some fat. In a small study, about 10% of a vitamin E dose was absorbed with a fat-free breakfast, 20% when 6% of the meal's calories came from fat and 33% when 21% did. We found no study that compares morning with night.1

Key facts

  • A 400 IU capsule taken with fat-free milk on an empty stomach was absorbed far less than the same vitamin added to breakfast cereal.2
  • In another study, 3 g of fat at a meal raised blood vitamin E as much as 36 g did.3
  • The orlistat label reports that orlistat cut the absorption of a vitamin E supplement by about 60%.4
  • The acetate and succinate forms used in most supplements are absorbed as efficiently as plain alpha-tocopherol.5

Why the meal matters

In a study of 5 adults, the share of a labeled vitamin E dose absorbed was about 10% with a fat-free breakfast, 20% when 6% of the breakfast's calories came from fat, and 33% when 21% did.1

In 5 fasting adults, a 400 IU vitamin E capsule taken with fat-free milk raised blood levels far less than vitamin E added to breakfast cereal, and the response varied widely when the capsule was taken with a low-fat cereal breakfast.2

In a one-week study, 50 mg of vitamin E a day taken with a low-fat hot meal raised blood vitamin E about as much with 3 g of fat in the meal as with 36 g.3

Read together, the studies say that some fat matters more than a lot of it. An ordinary meal with eggs, nuts, cheese or food cooked in oil holds at least a few grams of fat. A black coffee or a fat-free snack holds almost none.1,3

Morning or night?

We found no study that compares taking vitamin E in the morning with taking it at night. What the studies tested was the meal, so take it with whichever meal reliably contains some fat.

If you take a 400 IU capsule, the same rule applies. That dose is 268 mg of natural or 180 mg of synthetic vitamin E, many times the 15 mg adults need, so ask your doctor whether you need it at all.5

Before or after a meal?

In these studies vitamin E was taken with the meal itself: in a capsule alongside cereal, in a spread eaten with a hot meal, or added to the food. None tested taking it an hour before or after eating, so during the meal is the choice the evidence covers.1,2,3

Capsules, tablets and other forms

Water-miscible forms are used for people who cannot absorb fat well. In healthy adults, one such form raised blood vitamin E only slightly, while the usual fat-soluble acetate raised it significantly.5,6

We found no study comparing capsules with tablets. For people who absorb fat normally, the authors of the water-miscible study preferred the ordinary fat-soluble forms.6

Medicines that change the plan

The orlistat label says orlistat cut the absorption of a vitamin E acetate supplement by about 60%. It tells people taking orlistat to take a multivitamin with fat-soluble vitamins at least 2 hours before or after it, such as at bedtime.4

Spacing does not address the concern with blood thinners. With warfarin or another anticoagulant or antiplatelet medicine, the question is whether to take vitamin E at all, so ask your pharmacist or doctor first.7

Questions people ask

Should I take vitamin E in the morning or at night?

Either, as long as it goes with a meal that has some fat. We found no study that compared the two times.

Can I take vitamin E on an empty stomach?

It is poorly absorbed that way. In one study a vitamin E dose taken with a fat-free breakfast was absorbed about a third as well as one taken with a breakfast getting 21% of its calories from fat, and in another a capsule taken while fasting gave only a small rise in blood levels.1,2

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Sources

  1. Bruno RS, Leonard SW, Park SI, Zhao Y, Traber MG. Human vitamin E requirements assessed with the use of apples fortified with deuterium-labeled alpha-tocopheryl acetate. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;83(2):299-304. Opened 2026-10-07.
  2. Leonard SW, Good CK, Gugger ET, Traber MG. Vitamin E bioavailability from fortified breakfast cereal is greater than that from encapsulated supplements. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004;79(1):86-92. Opened 2026-10-07.
  3. Roodenburg AJ, Leenen R, van het Hof KH, Weststrate JA, Tijburg LB. Amount of fat in the diet affects bioavailability of lutein esters but not of alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and vitamin E in humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000;71(5):1187-1193. Opened 2026-10-07.
  4. Xenical (orlistat) capsules: prescribing information (H2-Pharma). DailyMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine. Published January 12, 2026. Opened 2026-10-07.
  5. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin E: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated March 26, 2021. Opened 2026-10-07.
  6. Dimitrov NV, Meyer-Leece C, McMillan J, Gilliland D, Perloff M, Malone W. Plasma alpha-tocopherol concentrations after supplementation with water- and fat-soluble vitamin E. Am J Clin Nutr. 1996;64(3):329-335. Opened 2026-10-07.
  7. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin E: Fact Sheet for Consumers. Updated March 22, 2021. Opened 2026-10-07.

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