Vitamin E

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By Nikola · Precision Nutrition L1 · Updated 5 November 2026

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant that limits the free radicals formed when fats oxidise, and the form your body actually uses is alpha-tocopherol. EFSA sets an adequate intake of 13 mg a day for men and 11 mg for women, and an upper limit of 300 mg a day for adults. The best sources are vegetable oils, nuts and seeds: a small handful of sunflower seeds plus a tablespoon of sunflower oil covers a day. True deficiency is rare in healthy people. The bigger practical question is high-dose supplements, which can affect blood clotting.

What vitamin E does

“Vitamin E” is a family of eight compounds: four tocopherols and four tocotrienols (alpha, beta, gamma and delta). Only alpha-tocopherol is recognised as meeting human requirements, and EFSA sets its reference values for alpha-tocopherol alone. It works as a fat-soluble antioxidant, limiting the free radicals that form when fats oxidise (NIH ODS).

On supplement labels you will see two kinds. Natural alpha-tocopherol is written as RRR-alpha-tocopherol or d-alpha-tocopherol; synthetic is all-rac or dl-alpha-tocopherol and is about half as active per milligram. That is why NIH converts 1 IU of the natural form to 0.67 mg and 1 IU of the synthetic form to 0.45 mg.

The EU allows one health claim for foods that are at least a source of vitamin E (Regulation (EU) 432/2012): “Vitamin E contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress”.

How much you need a day

Group	EFSA adequate intake (AI), mg/day	EFSA upper limit, mg/day	For reference: NIH RDA, mg/day
Men	13	300	15
Women	11	300	15
Pregnancy	11	300	15
Breastfeeding	11	300	19
Children	6 (1-2 years), 9 (3-9 years), 13 boys / 11 girls (10-17 years)	100 (1-3 years) to 260 (15-17 years)	–

Sources: EFSA 2015 (adequate intake), EFSA 2024 (upper limit), NIH ODS. All values are mg of alpha-tocopherol. EFSA could not derive an average requirement, so it based its adequate intakes on what healthy people in nine EU countries eat without signs of deficiency. The upper limit is set to prevent impaired blood clotting and bleeding, and EFSA says it does not apply to people taking anticoagulant or antiplatelet medicines. For comparison, the US upper limit is 1,000 mg a day.

Best food sources

Food	Vitamin E, 100 g	Portion	Vitamin E per portion
Sunflower seeds, dry roasted	26.1 mg	28 g (1 oz)	7.4 mg
Almonds	25.6 mg	28 g (about 23 nuts)	7.3 mg
Sunflower oil	41.1 mg	1 tbsp, 13.6 g	5.6 mg
Hazelnuts	15.0 mg	28 g (about 21 nuts)	4.3 mg
Atlantic salmon, farmed, raw	3.55 mg	85 g	3.0 mg
Peanuts	8.33 mg	28 g	2.4 mg
Avocado	2.07 mg	half an avocado, about 100 g	2.1 mg
Olive oil	14.4 mg	1 tbsp, 13.5 g	1.9 mg
Red bell pepper, raw	1.58 mg	1 medium, 119 g	1.9 mg
Spinach, raw	2.03 mg	1 cup, 30 g	0.6 mg

Source: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, checked 5 November 2026, alpha-tocopherol: sunflower seeds FDC 170563, almonds FDC 170567, sunflower oil (linoleic, about 65%) FDC 171025, hazelnuts FDC 170581, salmon FDC 175167, peanuts FDC 172430, avocado FDC 171705, olive oil FDC 171413, red bell pepper FDC 170108, spinach FDC 168462. Portions are USDA household measures; half an avocado is calculated from USDA’s 201 g whole fruit. Values per portion are calculated and rounded.

Vitamin E follows fat. A handful of sunflower seeds or almonds gives more than half of a day’s adequate intake, and hazelnuts and peanuts help too. Oils differ a lot: sunflower oil has almost three times more alpha-tocopherol than olive oil. Fish such as salmon, plus avocado, red peppers and spinach, add smaller amounts. More on fats in the diet: all about high-quality fats.

Deficiency: signs and who is at risk

Clear vitamin E deficiency is rare, and healthy people with low intakes have not shown obvious symptoms (NIH ODS). When it does happen, it affects nerves and muscles: peripheral neuropathy, loss of coordination (ataxia), muscle weakness, damage to the retina and weaker immune responses, sometimes with anaemia.

Those at risk are people who cannot absorb fat properly, such as people with Crohn’s disease or cystic fibrosis; babies born prematurely weighing under 1,500 g; and people with rare genetic conditions such as ataxia with vitamin E deficiency (AVED) and abetalipoproteinaemia. In these cases, diagnosis and treatment belong with a doctor.

Supplements: when they make sense

For healthy people, food comes first. The trials below are the reason high doses deserve caution.

• Eye formulas. The AREDS formula for people at high risk of advanced age-related macular degeneration includes 180 mg (400 IU) of vitamin E alongside vitamin C, zinc and other nutrients. This is for people an eye doctor has assessed.
• Prostate cancer signal. In the SELECT trial, 400 IU (180 mg) a day of synthetic vitamin E was linked to a 17% higher risk of prostate cancer compared with placebo.
• Bleeding and mortality. Two clinical trials linked high-dose alpha-tocopherol with more haemorrhagic strokes. A 2005 meta-analysis found a small rise in deaths from all causes with high doses, starting at 150 IU and significant at 400 IU a day; other reviews in healthy people found no convincing increase, so the picture is unclear (NIH ODS).
• Dose ceiling. The UK’s Department of Health and Social Care says 540 mg (800 IU) a day or less from supplements is unlikely to cause harm; EFSA’s upper limit for all sources combined is lower, 300 mg.

Who should be careful

• Blood thinners. Large doses of vitamin E may increase the risk of bleeding in people taking warfarin or antiplatelet drugs, especially if their vitamin K intake is low. EFSA’s upper limit does not apply to them, nor to people on secondary prevention for heart disease or with vitamin K malabsorption. Talk to your doctor before any vitamin E supplement.
• Statins with niacin. In one trial, an antioxidant mix of vitamin E, vitamin C, selenium and beta-carotene blunted the rise in HDL cholesterol in people on simvastatin and niacin.
• Cancer treatment. Oncologists generally advise against antioxidant supplements during chemotherapy and radiotherapy; the evidence is debated, so follow your care team.

No adverse effects have been reported from vitamin E in food, even in large amounts (NIH ODS).

FAQ

What does vitamin E do for your body?

Vitamin E works as a fat-soluble antioxidant, limiting the free radicals that form when fats oxidise. The EU allows foods that are a source of vitamin E to say it “contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress”.

What foods are high in vitamin E?

Vegetable oils, nuts and seeds. Per 100 g, sunflower oil has 41.1 mg, dry-roasted sunflower seeds 26.1 mg, almonds 25.6 mg and hazelnuts 15.0 mg of alpha-tocopherol (USDA). A 28 g handful of sunflower seeds or almonds gives over 7 mg.

Is it safe to take vitamin E every day?

From food, yes. From supplements, high doses can affect blood clotting, so EFSA sets an adult upper limit of 300 mg a day, which does not apply to people on anticoagulant or antiplatelet medicines. If you take any medicine that affects clotting, ask your doctor first.

Related entries and articles

• Sunflower seeds, almonds and hazelnuts
• Peanuts and avocado
• Extra virgin olive oil and high-quality fats
• Vitamin K – why the two matter together for clotting
• Vitamin A, vitamin D and vitamin C
• All about high-quality fats
• Baked salmon with root vegetables

Sources

1. USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Seeds, sunflower seed kernels, dry roasted, without salt (FDC 170563); Nuts, almonds (FDC 170567); Nuts, hazelnuts or filberts (FDC 170581); Peanuts, all types, raw (FDC 172430). fdc.nal.usda.gov
2. USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Oil, sunflower, linoleic, (approx. 65%) (FDC 171025); Oil, olive, salad or cooking (FDC 171413). fdc.nal.usda.gov
3. USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Fish, salmon, Atlantic, farmed, raw (FDC 175167); Avocados, raw, all commercial varieties (FDC 171705); Peppers, sweet, red, raw (FDC 170108); Spinach, raw (FDC 168462). fdc.nal.usda.gov
4. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin E, Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. ods.od.nih.gov
5. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin A and Carotenoids, Fact Sheet for Health Professionals (AREDS formula). ods.od.nih.gov
6. EFSA NDA Panel (2015). Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for vitamin E as α-tocopherol. EFSA Journal, 4149. efsa.europa.eu
7. EFSA NDA Panel (2024). Scientific opinion on the tolerable upper intake level for vitamin E. EFSA Journal 22(8), doi 10.2903/j.efsa.2024.8953. doaj.org
8. Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 – permitted health claims. eur-lex.europa.eu
9. NHS: Vitamin E. nhs.uk

This page is for information only and is not medical or dietary advice.