How much vitamin E should you take?

The European nutrient reference value for labelling is 12 mg. There is no reason to look for more: the mortality meta-analysis places increased risk above 150 IU a day, and the signal is clear at 400 IU or more.

Is high-dose vitamin E dangerous?

There are two serious signals. A meta-analysis of 19 trials with 135,967 participants found an excess of 39 deaths per 10,000 people with doses of 400 IU a day or more. And the SELECT trial, with over 35,000 healthy men, found more prostate cancer with 400 IU a day (HR 1.17).

Does it help recovery from training?

It may work against it. In one trial, 400 IU of vitamin E and 1000 mg of vitamin C a day over four weeks prevented the insulin sensitivity improvement that training produced in the unsupplemented group. The oxidative stress of exercise is part of the signal that drives adaptation.

How many mg is 400 IU of vitamin E?

It depends on whether it is natural or synthetic, and that unit ambiguity is exactly what makes people overshoot without noticing. The practical point: the European labelling reference is 12 mg, and the trials where problems appeared used 400 IU, an order of magnitude apart.

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Vitamin E · Moderate evidence

What vitamin E is for and how much to take

The short answer. Vitamin E is a necessary fat-soluble antioxidant, and with a normal diet deficiency is rare. The interesting part of this page is not what it is for, but why you should not overdo it. A meta-analysis with almost 136,000 participants found higher all-cause mortality with doses of 400 IU a day or more. A trial with over 35,000 men found more prostate cancer with 400 IU a day. And in the gym there is a separate finding: high-dose antioxidants can block part of the adaptations training produces.

There are studies in favour, but few, with small samples or measuring markers instead of outcomes. No figure on this page is attributed to a specific product: the effect belongs to the ingredient and every number carries its source next to it.

01 What it does and how much

Each row is a measured effect, with the figure the study gives and the source number. Where the evidence gives no figure, the column says so instead of making up a percentage.

Effects of vitamin E with their source
Effect	How much	Detail
Nutrient reference value	12 mg	It is the European labelling figure, used to calculate what percentage of the reference intake a capsule covers. It is not a dose with a demonstrated effect: it is a label reference. [1]
Mortality with high doses	+39 per 10,000	Pooled risk difference in trials with 400 IU a day or more, across 135,967 participants in 19 trials. The dose-response analysis places the increased risk above 150 IU a day. [2]
Prostate cancer	HR 1.17	In the SELECT trial, with 400 IU a day in healthy men: 620 cases in the vitamin E group versus 529 on placebo. It is the reason high doses stopped being recommended. [3]
Training adaptations	insulin sensitivity blocked	With 400 IU of vitamin E and 1000 mg of vitamin C a day over four weeks of training, the insulin sensitivity improvements exercise produced did not appear in the supplemented group. Taking high-dose antioxidants to train better can backfire. [4]

02 How to take it

Dose. The European labelling reference is 12 mg. There is no reason to look for high-dose products.
When. With food containing fat, because it is fat-soluble.
How long before you notice it. As a nutrient there is no effect to wait for unless you start from a deficiency, which is rare.

Details that change the result

The units are confusing, conveniently: risk studies use IU and European labels use mg. 400 IU is far more than the 12 mg reference.
Vegetable oils, nuts and seeds cover vitamin E without buying anything.
It interacts with anticoagulants. With that medication involved, a doctor decides.
If the goal is to train better, the evidence on high-dose antioxidants works against you, not for you.

03 When it makes sense and when it does not

Worth it if

With a diagnosed deficiency, usually linked to fat absorption problems and assessed by a doctor.
As part of a multivitamin at reference doses, not as a high-dose product.

Not worth it if

At high doses chronically: the meta-analysis links them to higher all-cause mortality.
As an antioxidant for better recovery from training, where there is evidence it can block part of the adaptations.
With a normal diet that already includes oils, nuts and seeds.

04 Sources

Every figure above comes from here. They are position stands from scientific societies, meta-analyses and peer-reviewed reviews: if a claim cannot hang from one of these lines, it is not on the page. References are cited in their original form.

Reglamento (UE) 1169/2011 sobre la informacion alimentaria facilitada al consumidor, Anexo XIII: valores de referencia de nutrientes. Vitamina E, 12 mg. Es un valor de ETIQUETADO, no una dosis con efecto demostrado. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/ES/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32011R1169
Miller ER 3rd et al. Meta-analysis: high-dosage vitamin E supplementation may increase all-cause mortality. Ann Intern Med. 2005;142(1):37-46. 135.967 participantes en 19 ensayos: diferencia de riesgo de mortalidad de 39 por 10.000 personas (IC 95 % 3-74) con dosis de 400 UI/dia o superiores, con aumento del riesgo por encima de 150 UI/dia. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-142-1-200501040-00110
Klein EA et al. Vitamin E and the risk of prostate cancer: the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT). JAMA. 2011;306(14):1549-1556. 34.887 hombres analizados: 620 casos de cancer de prostata con 400 UI/dia de vitamina E frente a 529 con placebo (HR 1,17; IC 99 % 1,004-1,36). doi:10.1001/jama.2011.1437
Ristow M et al. Antioxidants prevent health-promoting effects of physical exercise in humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2009;106(21):8665-8670. Con 1000 mg de vitamina C y 400 UI de vitamina E al dia durante 4 semanas de entrenamiento, no aparecieron las mejoras de sensibilidad a la insulina observadas en el grupo que entrenaba sin suplementar. doi:10.1073/pnas.0903485106

This is not medical advice. It is what some studies say about an ingredient, not a protocol for you. With an illness, medication or pregnancy involved, the decision belongs to a healthcare professional who knows you.

Questions about vitamin E

Answered with the data on this page

How much vitamin E should you take?: The European nutrient reference value for labelling is 12 mg. There is no reason to look for more: the mortality meta-analysis places increased risk above 150 IU a day, and the signal is clear at 400 IU or more.
Is high-dose vitamin E dangerous?: There are two serious signals. A meta-analysis of 19 trials with 135,967 participants found an excess of 39 deaths per 10,000 people with doses of 400 IU a day or more. And the SELECT trial, with over 35,000 healthy men, found more prostate cancer with 400 IU a day (HR 1.17).
Does it help recovery from training?: It may work against it. In one trial, 400 IU of vitamin E and 1000 mg of vitamin C a day over four weeks prevented the insulin sensitivity improvement that training produced in the unsupplemented group. The oxidative stress of exercise is part of the signal that drives adaptation.
How many mg is 400 IU of vitamin E?: It depends on whether it is natural or synthetic, and that unit ambiguity is exactly what makes people overshoot without noticing. The practical point: the European labelling reference is 12 mg, and the trials where problems appeared used 400 IU, an order of magnitude apart.

And now, which to buy

Prices, kept apart from the evidence

This page explains what vitamin E does and deliberately names no brand. The comparison is the other half: 41 products from 7 stores from €0.060 per capsule, sorted by price and by how verifiable their certification is.

See the vitamin e comparison

Other guides

What each supplement does, with its sources