What is Vitamin E?
Vitamin E is an antioxidant and thus serves as one of the body’s main defenders against oxidative damage.
Vitamin E acts to protect your cells against the effects of free radicals, which are potentially damaging
by-products of energy metabolism. Free radicals can damage cells and may contribute to the development of
cardiovascular disease and cancer. Studies are underway to determine whether vitamin E, through its ability
to limit production of free radicals, might help prevent or delay the development of those chronic diseases.
Normal nerve development depends on vitamin E. Vitamin E also protects the white blood cells that defend the
body against disease, and it may play other roles in normal immunity. Supplements of the vitamin were found
to improve the immune response in healthy elderly people. Vitamin E may also help defend against heart
disease.
Recommended Daily Intake
The Daily Recommended Intake (DRI) for vitamin E is 15 milligrams a day for adults. This amount seems
sufficient to maintain blood values for both vitamin E and indicators of oxidation reactions within healthy,
normal limits. The need for vitamin E rises as people consume more polyunsaturated oil because the oil
requires antioxidant protection by the vitamin. Fortunately, most raw oils also contain vitamin E, so people
who eat the oil also receive the vitamin. Note that heating (such as frying) the oil destroys the vitamin E
so most processed, fast, deep-fried, and convenience foods retain little vitamin E.
In the table below, DRI’s for vitamin E are based only on the alpha-tocopherol form of vitamin E. The table
also lists the values for vitamin E in International Units (IU) because food and most supplement labels list
vitamin E content in IU (1 mg alpha-tocopherol vitamin E = 1.49 IU).
| Age |
Children (mg/day) |
Men (mg/day) |
Women (mg/day) |
Pregnancy (mg/day) |
Lactation (mg/day) |
| 1-3 |
6 mg
(=9 IU) |
|
|
|
|
| 4-8 |
7 mg
(=10.5 IU) |
|
|
|
|
| 9-13 |
|
11 mg
(=16.5 IU) |
11 mg
(=16.5 IU) |
15 mg
(=22.5 IU) |
19 mg
(=28.5 IU) |
| 14+ |
|
15 mg
(=22.5 IU) |
15 mg
(=22.5 IU) |
15 mg
(=22.5 IU) |
19 mg
(=28.5 IU) |
Recommended Vitamin E Supplements
The following Vitamin E Supplements are FoodsDatabase recommended; each provides a full days worth of Vitamin E and are an
essential component to a nutritious & healthy lifestyle:
Sources of Vitamin E
Vegetable oils, nuts, green leafy vegetables, and fortified cereals are common food sources of vitamin E in
the United States (U.S.).
The following chart displays the Vitamin E content of various foods.
The following table lists foods that provide quantities of Vitamin E, ranked by Alpha-tocopherol per serving.
| Food, Standard Amount |
Alpha-tocopherol
per serving (mg) |
% Daily
Value |
Calories |
| Wheat Germ Oil, 1 tbsp |
20.3 |
100 |
120 |
| Almonds, dry roasted, 1 oz |
7.4 |
40 |
169 |
| Sunflower Seed kernels, dry roasted, 1 oz |
6.0 |
30 |
165 |
| Sunflower Oil, 1 tbsp |
5.6 |
30 |
120 |
| Hazelnuts, dry roasted, 1 oz |
4.3 |
20 |
183 |
| Peanuts, dry roasted, 1 oz |
2.1 |
10 |
166 |
| Corn Oil (salad or vegetable oil), 1 tbsp |
1.9 |
10 |
120 |
| Spinach, frozen, 1/2 Cup |
1.6 |
6 |
30 |
| Broccoli, frozen, 1/2 cup |
1.2 |
6 |
26 |
| Kiwi, 1 medium fruit |
1.1 |
6 |
46 |
Vitamin E Under/Over
The following table describes some of the symptons that signify a lack of Vitamin E (Deficiency) and an
overabundance of Vitamin E (Toxicity).
| Deficiency Symptions |
|
Toxicity Symptons |
|
Blood/Circulatory System
|
| Red blood cell breakage, anemia |
|
Augments the efects of anticlotting medication |
|
Digestive System
|
| |
|
General discomfort, nausea |
|
Eyes
|
| |
|
Blurred vision |
|
Nervous/Muscular Systems
|
| Degeneration, weakness, difficulty walking, leg cramps |
|
Fatgue |
|
Other
|
| |
|
mental and physical retardation |
