Vitamin E
Alpha-tocopherol / mixed tocopherols · Foundation
The antioxidant that best illustrates why "antioxidant" is not the same as "good for you".
What the evidence says
Essentiality is clear and deficiency is rare. Supplementation is where it goes wrong: a meta-analysis associated high-dose vitamin E with increased all-cause mortality, and the SELECT trial found a statistically significant INCREASE in prostate cancer in men taking it. This is the cautionary tale the supplement industry does not retell.
What studies used
Requirements sit near 15 mg/day; trials that found harm commonly used 400 IU or more. Fat-soluble; studies dosed it with meals.
Reported from published studies and product labelling — a record of what was used in research, not a recommendation. What is right for you is a conversation with a clinician.
Watch out for
- High doses have anticoagulant effects and increase bleeding risk, particularly alongside warfarin or antiplatelet drugs
- A trial signal of increased prostate cancer in healthy men is a strong argument against routine high-dose use
Evidence base
established literature
Large human evidence base: several phase 3 or 4 trial reports, plus multiple meta-analyses or systematic reviews.
This letter measures how much human research exists, not whether it works for you — the tier above (Moderate) is the read on quality.
Research (12)
- Vitamin E and Multiple Health Outcomes: An Umbrella Review of Meta-AnalysesNutrients · 2023
- Vitamin E and breast cancerJ Nutr · 2004
- Tocopherol (vitamin E) in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disordersCNS Drugs · 2004
- Many tocopherols, one vitamin EMol Aspects Med · 2018
- Vitamin E in Plants: Biosynthesis, Transport, and FunctionTrends Plant Sci · 2019
- Vitamin E and risk of age-related cataract: a meta-analysisPublic Health Nutr · 2015
- Chemopreventive activity of vitamin E in breast cancer: a focus on γ- and δ-tocopherolNutrients · 2011
- The role of vitamin E (tocopherol) supplementation in the prevention of stroke. A meta-analysis of 13 randomised controlled trialsThromb Haemost · 2011
- Does vitamin E prevent or promote cancer?Cancer Prev Res (Phila) · 2012
- Chemopreventive and anti-tumor potential of vitamin E in preclinical breast cancer studies: A systematic reviewClin Nutr ESPEN · 2023
- Effect of vitamin E and A supplementation on egg yolk alpha-tocopherol concentrationPoult Sci · 2002
- Effects of vitamin E supplementation on exercise-induced oxidative stress: a meta-analysisAppl Physiol Nutr Metab · 2014
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