Vitamin E
Also known as Alpha-tocopherol, Tocopherols, Tocotrienols
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant that protects cell membranes from damage by free radicals. Alpha-tocopherol is the only form the human body maintains and uses to meet requirements.
The recommended intake sits at about 2% of the level considered the safe daily ceiling, leaving comfortable headroom.
Why it matters
What it does in your body
- Antioxidant protection of cell membranes
- Immune function
- Blood vessel health
- Preventing blood clots (limiting platelet clumping)
By age, sex, and life stage
How much you need
Values are RDA except infant values, which are Adequate Intake (AI). Requirements are set for alpha-tocopherol, the only form that meets human needs. Amounts are in mg of alpha-tocopherol.
Recommended intake across life
in mg/dayBars scale to the highest recommendation shown. Where men and women differ, both values are listed.
Full reference table
| Life stage | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Infants 0-6 mo | 4 (AI) | 4 (AI) |
| Infants 7-12 mo | 5 (AI) | 5 (AI) |
| Children 1-3 | 6 | 6 |
| Children 4-8 | 7 | 7 |
| Children 9-13 | 11 | 11 |
| Teens 14-18 | 15 | 15 |
| Adults 19+ | 15 | 15 |
| Pregnancy | n/a | 15 |
| Lactation | n/a | 19 |
Values in mg/day. AI marks an Adequate Intake, used when there is not enough evidence for a formal recommendation.
What moves the number
What changes your needs
Age
Needs increase through childhood and reach the adult level of 15 mg by age 14, then stay constant for the rest of adult life with no increase in older age.
Sex
Recommended intakes are the same for men and women at every life stage.
Body weight / size
Requirements are set by life stage rather than scaled to body weight.
Pregnancy and lactation
Needs stay at 15 mg during pregnancy but rise to 19 mg during lactation to cover the amount secreted in breast milk.
Running low
Signs you might not get enough
Most at risk: Very rare from diet alone. It occurs mainly in premature, very-low-birth-weight infants and in people with fat-malabsorption disorders such as Crohn's disease and cystic fibrosis, or with rare genetic conditions like abetalipoproteinemia.
Too much
Can you get too much?
Excess comes only from high-dose supplements, not food. Because vitamin E can interfere with blood clotting, large supplemental doses raise bleeding risk, which is a particular concern for people taking anticoagulant medication.
Where to get it
Best food sources
The bottom line
Nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils make it easy to meet vitamin E needs through diet, so supplements are rarely necessary. High-dose supplements can increase bleeding risk and offer no proven benefit for healthy people.
Track vitamin e automatically
Vitamin E is one of the 92 nutrients Vora reads from a photo of your meal, so you can see where you stand without weighing or logging by hand.
Sources and method
The recommended intakes, upper limits, and food-source amounts on this page come from the primary references below. Numbers were checked against the current NIH Office of Dietary Supplements fact sheets and the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academies) Dietary Reference Intakes.
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin E Fact Sheet for Health Professionals
- Institute of Medicine (NASEM), Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Carotenoids
This page is for general education, not medical advice. Reference intakes are population averages for healthy people and do not replace guidance from your doctor or a registered dietitian, especially if you are pregnant, managing a health condition, or considering supplements.