*The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is the average daily dietary intake level that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97-98%) healthy individuals in each life-stage and gender group.
Sources - Where is it found? Vitamin E is only found in foods of plant origin. The richest sources of vitamin E are polyunsaturated vegetable oils (soy bean, corn, cottonseed and safflower), products made from these oils (such as margarines, shortening and mayonnaise), wheat germ, nuts and other grains. Meat, fish, animal fat and most fruit and vegetables contain little vitamin E; green leafy vegetables also supply substantial amounts of the vitamin. Cooking, storage and processing of foods, especially flour, reduces their vitamin E content. Because Vitamin E is insoluble in water, it is not lost when cooking in water, but can be lost by deep-fat frying - another good reason to prepare food healthily and to avoid or limit deep-fat frying.
Food Groups |
Food Sources |
Nutrient Density |
High |
Medium |
Low |
|
Fats, oils, and sweets |
Plant oils (Soy bean, Corn, Cottonseed and Safflower), Margarine, Mayonnaise, Oil-based salad dressing |
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta |
Wheat germ (whole grains), Some fortified breakfast cereals |
Meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts |
Nuts, Seeds, Shrimp, Peanut butter |
Vegetables |
Green leafy vegetables | Low sources |
Meat, fish, animal fat and most fruit and vegetables | |
|
Deficiency - When you have too little
Symptoms of deficiency is uncommon in humans as vitamin E is widespread in foods. Vitamin E deficiency may be found where fat absorption and / or transport of the vitamin is impaired. It is also found in preterm infants.
Toxicity - When you have too much
Although vitamin E is a fat soluble vitamin, it is quite safe when taken at high doses (600 IU) for prolonged periods of time (up to five years). Persons taking anticoagulant (blood thinning) medication, should however be careful as vitamin E enhances bleeding time. Large intakes of Vitamin E might interfere with the absorption of vitamin A and K. More importantly, intakes gretaer than 1200mg of alpha-tocopherol equivalents per day can interfere with the metabolism of vitamin K, thus increasing the anticoagulation (blood thinning) effects of drugs. |
| Upper Limit+ (mg/daya) | Life-Stage (years) | Males | Females | 0 - 0.5 (0 - 6 months) | ND | ND | 0.5 - 1 (7 - 12 months) | ND | ND | 1 - 3 | 200 | 200 | 4 - 8 | 300 | 300 | 9 - 13 | 600 | 600 | 14 - 18 | 800 | 800 | Ages 19+ | 1000 | 1000 | Life-Stage (years) | Pregnancy | Lactation | 18 and younger | 800 | 800 | Ages 19 + | 1000 | 1000 | a1 mg alpha-tocopherol equivalents = 1.5 IU | +Upper Limits (UL) = The maximum level of daily nutrient intake that is likely to pose no risk of adverse effects. Unless otherwise specified, the UL represents total intake from food, water, and supplements. ND = Not determinable due to lack of data of adverse effects in this age group and concern with regard to lack of ability to handle excess amounts. Source of intake should be from food only to prevent high levels of intake. |
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