What is the benefit of vitamin E?

If you're eating a balanced and healthy diet, you're likely to be getting all the vitamin E benefits your body needs.

Dietitians Helen Bond and Clare Thornton-Wood from the British Dietetic Association explain what vitamin E is and why your body needs it.

What is vitamin E?

Like most vitamins, vitamin E is a fat-soluble compound. Fat soluble vitamins are absorbed along with fats in the diet and are stored in your body's fatty tissue and liver.

Vitamin E benefits

Thornton-Wood says: "One of the main properties of vitamin E is as an antioxidant, protecting your body's cells from damage from unstable molecules (free radicals). These are produced by pollutants such as cigarette smoke, air pollution and UV rays from the sun, and also by your body itself when food is digested."

"For this reason, vitamin E is important for maintaining a healthy immune system and overall health and well-being," she says.

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Am I eating enough vitamin E?

Like all things good for you, vitamin E is found in many healthy foods.

If your body is not getting enough vitamin E - it's usually linked to a poor diet.

"Most people are able to get enough vitamin E in their diet. It can also be stored in the body, so it's not essential to be consumed in large amounts every day," Bond says. "So, a deficiency is rare in this country, even in people with a chronic malabsorption of fats - a condition where your body can't absorb fats properly."

In the UK it is recommended adults consume 3-15 milligrams of vitamin E daily¹.

What foods contain vitamin E?

Thornton-Wood explains says some of the best sources of Vitamin E include:

Wheatgerm.

Cereals and cereal products made with whole grains.

Nuts and seeds.

Plant oils such as olive oil.

It is also added by manufacturers to some foods such as breakfast cereals and spreads, and is in very small amounts in dark leafy greens.

"It is not difficult to obtain all the vitamin E benefits you need each day from eating a balanced diet. Any not utilised that day can be stored by your body for future use." says Thornton-Wood

Is vitamin E deficiency possible?

While deficiency in vitamin E isn't likely, there are some people more prone to vitamin deficiency in general and in need of a higher intake of vitamin E.

"Vitamin E deficiency is rare and is generally linked to diseases where digestion or absorption of fat is an issue - such as in Crohn's disease and cystic fibrosis," says Thornton-Wood.

"In extreme cases a lack of vitamin E can cause damage to your nerves and muscles. This could result in loss of feeling in your arms and legs, weakness of your muscles and problems with your vision.

"A lack of vitamin E could also lead to you having a weakened immune function."

Do I need to take vitamin E supplements?

Thornton-Wood says: "Vitamin E supplements are generally not necessary for most people. Vitamin E is much better obtained from food which will then provide a range of other nutrients such as fibre, and other vitamins and minerals."

Bond adds that while there have been suggestions of health benefits linked to high doses of vitamin E, the jury is still out on whether supplementing with vitamin E is necessary.

"High doses of vitamin E have been implicated in promoting health and protecting against many health conditions including Alzheimer's disease," she says.

"But so far there's not enough conclusive evidence that taking high doses of vitamin E supplements each day is essential. Instead, the effort should be on eating a healthy, balanced, and varied diet, and including plenty of foods that are naturally rich in vitamin E."

Vitamin E side effects

Like all things in life, you can end up with too much vitamin E, although it's extremely rare.

Thornton-Wood warns: "Extreme amounts of vitamin E can increase your chance of bleeding, as the ability of blood to clot is reduced." For this reason, if you are about to have surgery- you should not be taking vitamin E supplements.

Research has shown that there could be an increased risk of prostate cancer with high doses of vitamin E as well as a higher risk of death in those with severe heart disease that have had heart attacks or strokes.

Supplements should not be used in certain conditions such as heart disease, bleeding disorders, eye problems, cancers, liver disease and diabetes. If you have any condition- it is worth getting some expert advice before considering supplements.

"People on other medications should always consult a pharmacist before taking dietary supplements. In particular, vitamin E can interfere with the action of drugs such as warfarin - a type of blood thinner - and also the action of some chemotherapy drugs."

The safest take home message is, if you're worried about not getting enough vitamin E, make sure you're eating plenty of whole grains, nuts, seeds, and leafy greens. And if you're thinking about taking a supplement, always consult your pharmacist or doctor first.

Further reading

1. Vitamins - British National Formulary.