Approximate dose-response bands. Individual response varies — these are starting points, not prescriptions.
Well below target. Risk of deficiency symptoms tied to antioxidant.
Below the recommended daily target. Long-term adequacy not assured.
Daily target met. Standard nutritional support for antioxidant.
Common for specific health goals. Check the evidence for your situation before sustaining this level.
Approaching the tolerable upper limit. Monitor and consider clinical guidance.
Above the tolerable upper limit. Risk of adverse effects — back off or consult a clinician.
You're at 0% of your vitamin e target. The biggest single-serving sources to top it off:
Lipid-soluble antioxidant that protects polyunsaturated fatty acids in cell membranes and lipoproteins from peroxidation. Eight natural vitamers (alpha/beta/gamma/delta tocopherol and tocotrienol); alpha-tocopherol is preferentially retained by the hepatic alpha-tocopherol transfer protein.
Donates a hydrogen atom from its chromanol ring to neutralise lipid peroxyl radicals, terminating chain reactions in PUFA-rich membranes. The resulting tocopheroxyl radical is recycled by vitamin C and glutathione. Hepatic alpha-tocopherol transfer protein (alpha-TTP) selects alpha-tocopherol for VLDL incorporation; other vitamers are largely excreted.
Frank deficiency is rare in healthy adults — fat malabsorption or genetic alpha-TTP defects are the usual cause. Marginal status is more common but symptomatic deficiency is unusual.
High-dose alpha-tocopherol supplementation (≥400 IU/day) is associated with increased all-cause mortality in meta-analyses and modestly raises hemorrhagic stroke risk by inhibiting platelets.
Choose d-alpha-tocopherol with mixed tocopherols (gamma especially) over synthetic dl-alpha-tocopherol. Doses at or near the 15 mg RDA are sufficient for most adults — high-dose mono-alpha is the wrong default.
Absorbed with dietary fat; about 50% of dietary intake is absorbed under normal conditions. High-dose alpha-tocopherol displaces gamma-tocopherol from tissues, which may be metabolically undesirable. Synthetic dl-alpha is roughly half as bioavailable as natural d-alpha (the RDA already accounts for this).
High-dose supplementation does not extend lifespan and may shorten it. Achieving adequacy through nuts, seeds, and unrefined oils is consistent with the strongest dietary-pattern evidence (Mediterranean, MIND diets).
Lipid-soluble antioxidant; protects membranes from oxidative damage.
Forms with lower absorption: dl-alpha-tocopherol, synthetic. Prefer better-absorbed forms when supplementing.
The mechanisms and systems this nutrient feeds. Click any to drill into what runs on it.
Whole foods that contribute meaningfully (≥10% DV per 100 g serving). Click any food to see its full nutrient profile and what else it brings to the table.
See all foods high in Vitamin E, ranked →