What Is Vitamin E?
Vitamin E is a nutrient you need for good health. It's important for your eyes, skin, blood, and brain. One of its most important roles is acting as an antioxidant, which means it protects your cells against damaging molecules known as free radicals.
Though most people can get enough of this vitamin from a healthy diet, vitamin E supplements and beauty products for skin and hair have become popular. The risks and benefits of these products are still unclear.
Forms of Vitamin E
In nature, vitamin E exists in eight chemical forms:
- Alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta-tocopherol
- Alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta-tocotrienol
These forms have different levels of biological activity, but only one — alpha-tocopherol — has been studied extensively and is known to be important for human health. So, when we talk about vitamin E requirements or levels in foods or supplements, we're mostly talking about alpha-tocopherol — though some supplements do contain other forms.
On food and supplement labels, alpha-tocopherol from natural sources is commonly listed as d-alpha-tocopherol. Synthetic (lab-made) alpha-tocopherol is commonly listed as dl-alpha-tocopherol. The natural form is more potent.
You can get vitamin E from nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, leafy green vegetables, and fortified cereals.
Once in your body, the vitamin dissolves and is stored in fatty tissues and your liver.
The vitamin is also used in several health and beauty products you put on your skin. Those products don't affect levels inside your body.
These are some common forms:
Vitamin E oil
In this form, the vitamin is commonly used as a skin moisturizer. It may be especially useful for people with dry, itchy skin and might have other benefits, such as protecting the skin from damage.
Vitamin E cream
Like vitamin E oils, these creams are mostly used as moisturizers and may have other benefits as well.
Vitamin E capsules and tablets
These are pills containing vitamin E that you can take to raise levels in your body. If you have very low levels of vitamin E — a deficiency — your doctor may recommend taking them. Since these supplements can have risks, you should only take them after a discussion with your doctor.
What Does Vitamin E Do?
Many people use vitamin E supplements in the hope that they will prevent or treat disease. Those hopes are based on the vitamin's ability to:
- Act as an antioxidant, helping your cells fight off damage caused by daily living and environmental hazards such as cigarette smoke, air pollution, and ultraviolet light from the sun
- Fight inflammation, which plays an important role in many diseases
- Widen blood vessels, which reduces blood clotting
- Boost the immune system to help you fight off infections
- Help your cells communicate and work together
But studies of vitamin E supplements for preventing cancer, heart disease, diabetes, cataracts, and many other conditions have been disappointing.
Possible health benefits of vitamin E
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Vitamin E alone isn't effective against AMD — an eye disease that blurs central vision. But studies show that when it's used in combination with other vitamins and minerals, in formulas known as AREDS or AREDS2, it may help slow down AMD in people who already have intermediate AMD. The formula doesn't prevent AMD and isn't recommended for people with mild AMD.
Alzheimer's disease. Some studies, but not all, suggest high doses of vitamin E might slow the disease in those at mild to moderate stages. But the supplements don't seem to help those with mild cognitive problems stave off Alzheimer's disease in the first place.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Some research suggests that a high intake of vitamin E might slow down the progression of this disease, in which too much fat builds up in the liver. But more studies are needed to see if the benefits last.
Vitamin E deficiency. Supplements are recommended for people with very low levels in their bodies. But such deficiencies are rare. They're more likely in people who have diseases that affect the digestion of fat, such as Crohn's disease and cystic fibrosis. People on very low-fat diets may also have low levels of vitamin E.
Vitamin E benefits for skin
Vitamin E is found in the oil on your skin, where it acts as a natural moisturizer. As we age, we have less oil and vitamin E in our skin. Ultraviolet light, from the sun, tanning devices, and even some fluorescent, halogen, and incandescent light bulbs, can deplete those natural oils further.
So, it makes sense that the vitamin is added to many moisturizing products. It may help those products keep your skin moist, soft, and protected. It may also play some role in reducing sun damage but is no substitute for using sunscreen and limiting your time in the sun. The vitamin will not protect you from sunburn or eventual skin cancer. And it's not an effective treatment for skin cancer.
If your skin is already oily, you're unlikely to benefit from a vitamin E moisturizer. If it's dry and flaky, applying a product with vitamin E might help. Products that combine it with vitamin C — another antioxidant with its own skin benefits — might be especially helpful.
Some studies also suggest that eating a diet rich in vitamin E can help protect your skin from damage.
Vitamin E benefits for hair
Hair products containing vitamin E include things such as pumpkin seed oil, jojoba oil, and argan oil. While these products might moisturize your scalp and hair, claims that they help grow hair aren't supported by strong evidence. But pumpkin seed oil, which contains omega-3 fatty acids, linoleic acid, and vitamin E, has been shown to grow hair in mice when applied to the skin and may also have potential for growing hair when taken as a nutritional supplement.
One small study suggested taking vitamin E supplements alone might help restore some hair growth in people with hair loss.
If you have hair loss, it's best to discuss all of your options with your doctor.
Vitamin E Dosages for Adults and Children
The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) includes the vitamin E you get from both the food you eat and any supplements you take.
Category | Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol): Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) |
CHILDREN | |
1-3 years | 6 mg/day |
4-8 years | 7 mg/day |
9-13 years | 11 mg/day |
TEENS AND ADULTS | |
14 years and up | 15 mg/day |
Pregnant | 15 mg/day |
19 mg/day | |
The tolerable upper intake levels of a supplement are the highest amount that most people can take safely. Higher doses might be used to treat vitamin E deficiencies. But you should never take more unless a doctor says so.
Category | Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (UL) of |
1-3 years | 200 mg/day |
4-8 years | 300 mg/day |
9-13 years | 600 mg/day |
14-18 years | 800 mg/day |
19 years and up | 1,000 mg/day |
When is the best time to take vitamin E?
Because vitamin E dissolves in fat, the best time to take it may be right after you've eaten something with at least a little fat.
Vitamin E Foods
Vitamin E is found in many common foods. Some U.S. government surveys suggest most people don't get enough from their diets, but those surveys often don't include fats used in cooking -- which are a major source.
Here are some good sources of vitamin E, with the amount they provide in each serving:
- Sunflower seeds (dry, roasted), 1 ounce: 7.4 milligrams
- Almonds (dry, roasted), 1 ounce: 6.8 milligrams
- Sunflower oil, 1 tablespoon: 5.6 milligrams
- Peanut butter, 2 tablespoons: 2.9 milligrams
- Olive oil, 1 tablespoon: 2 milligrams
- Corn oil, 1 tablespoon: 1.9 milligrams
- Spinach, boiled, 1/2 cup: 1.9 milligram
- Avocado, half a fruit: 1.5 milligrams
- Broccoli, boiled, 1/2 cup: 1.2 milligrams
- Soybean oil, 1 tablespoon: 1.1 milligrams
- Tomato, raw, 1 medium: 0.7 milligrams
The American Heart Association recommends getting antioxidants, including vitamin E, by eating a well-balanced diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains rather than from supplements.
Who Is at Risk for Vitamin E Deficiency?
While many people may get less than the recommended amount of vitamin E in their diets, doctors see few people with clear vitamin E deficiency symptoms or low levels in their blood as a result of poor diets. Vitamin E deficiency often happens because you have a condition that gets in the way of digesting fat, which you need to absorb vitamin E.
Those at risk include people with:
- Crohn’s disease
- Cystic fibrosis
- Abetalipoproteinemia, a rare inherited disorder
- Ataxia and vitamin E deficiency (AVED) — another rare, inherited disorder
- Chronic pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)
- Bowel problems caused by surgery
- Very low-fat diets
Also at risk are infants, especially premature babies, who have stored up little vitamin E.
Vitamin E deficiency symptoms
Symptoms of a deficiency can include problems with nerves and muscles, such as:
- Trouble walking
- Slow reflexes
- Clumsiness
- Muscle weakness
These symptoms are more likely in children since adults can store a lot of vitamin E in body fat. In infants with vitamin E deficiency, complications can include bleeding in the brain, eye problems, and a form of anemia in which red blood cells rupture (hemolytic anemia).
In infants, children, and adults, vitamin E deficiency is treated with vitamin E supplements.
Vitamin E Side Effects
Overdoses of vitamin E supplements can cause:
It's also possible to have allergic reactions to vitamin E supplements you swallow. You also may get skin irritation from vitamin E products you apply to your skin.
And some studies suggest taking vitamin E can have longer-term risks.
In particular, one study showed a 17% increased risk of prostate cancer in men who took vitamin E supplements for more than 5 years. The daily dose used in that study was 400 International Units (IU) of dl-alpha tocopherol acetate.
When inhaled in a vaping product, vitamin E acetate may lead to serious lung injuries, known as product use-associated lung injuries (EVALI).
Who Shouldn't Take Vitamin E Supplements?
Vitamin E acts as a blood thinner, so people who have bleeding problems or take blood thinners (such as Coumadin or clopidogrel) or other medicines that increase bleeding risks should never take vitamin E supplements without talking to a health care provider.
If you are planning to have surgery, your doctor may ask you to stop taking vitamin E beforehand, due to the increased bleeding risk.
You should also talk to your doctor if you have:
- Severe heart disease
- Vitamin K deficiency
- Retinitis pigmentosa
- Diabetes
- Head and neck cancer
- Liver disease
Also, if you're pregnant, vitamin E supplements might do you more harm than good. Studies have found an increased risk of premature rupture of the membranes when pregnant women take vitamin E. The World Health Organization recommends against vitamin E supplements during pregnancy.
Vitamin E Drug Interactions
In addition to blood-thinning drugs, vitamin E might interact in unwanted ways with many medications, including:
- Antidepressant medications
- Antipsychotic medications
- Beta-blockers, for high blood pressure
- Statins, for cholesterol
- Chemotherapy drugs for cancer
So, if you are thinking of taking vitamin E supplements, talk with your doctor about all the medications you take.
Takeaways
Vitamin E is an important nutrient because it's an antioxidant, protecting your cells from daily damage. It also fights inflammation and helps maintain blood flow. A diet with plenty of vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, and leafy green vegetables can supply enough of this vitamin, so supplements are generally recommended only for people with rare deficiencies. But scientists are studying possible benefits for other people.
Vitamin E FAQs
Is it OK to have vitamin E every day?
You should eat foods with vitamin E every day as part of a healthy diet. If you need supplements because of a deficiency, take them as directed by your doctor. If you choose to take supplements for other reasons, daily use is fine as long as you stick to the recommended limit and check with your doctor to make sure the supplements are safe for you and don't interfere with any medications you take.
Is vitamin E good for heart patients?
Large studies looking at vitamin E supplements in heart patients have found no benefits. One study in women with heart disease found higher death rates in those who took the supplements than those who didn't. Studies have also failed to find that vitamin E supplements can prevent heart disease. But heart doctors do recommend diets high in vitamin E.
What are the benefits of vitamin E for women?
Some studies suggest vitamin E might help with period pain and symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, such as anxiety, food cravings, and depression. Studies have found no evidence vitamin E supplements help prevent breast cancer.
