Vitamin E is a group of fat-soluble compounds that act as antioxidants; alpha-tocopherol is the only form known to meet the body's needs. As a supplement it is used to cover low intake and has been studied for heart disease and cancer prevention, where trials have not shown a benefit.
Also known as: alpha-tocopherol, mixed tocopherols, tocopherol.
ODS lists a Recommended Dietary Allowance of 15 mg a day of alpha-tocopherol for adults and 19 mg while breastfeeding. The Tolerable Upper Intake Level for adults is 1,000 mg a day from supplements (about 1,500 IU of the natural form or 1,100 IU of the synthetic form). Most vitamin E-only supplements provide 67 mg (100 IU of natural vitamin E) or more. Synthetic vitamin E (labeled dl or all-rac) is about half as active as the natural form (d or RRR).
It is sold in the US as a dietary supplement. Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling. There is no FDA-approved vitamin E pill for general use.
ODS says vitamin E supplements have not been shown to prevent heart disease or cancer in clinical trials, and in the SELECT trial, 400 IU (180 mg) a day of synthetic vitamin E raised the risk of prostate cancer in men. Two trials found more hemorrhagic (bleeding) strokes in people taking vitamin E, and two meta-analyses linked high doses to a small rise in deaths, though what that means is unclear.
Vitamin E can slow blood clotting. ODS says large doses taken with blood thinners or antiplatelet drugs such as warfarin can raise bleeding risk, probably above 400 IU a day. An antioxidant mix 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 radiation.
We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for vitamin E that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one. It is fat-soluble: the liver takes up the forms absorbed from the gut and sends mainly alpha-tocopherol back into the blood (ODS).
How Dose Track handles peptides · Reconstitution calculator · Half-life calculator