Written & Reviewed by Clinics Asia Healthcare Team | Learn more about our expert review process.
Vitamins and minerals are essential nutrients that help your body function properly and stay healthy. Most people can get enough by eating a balanced, varied diet. But some may need extra support from supplements.
What is Vitamin E?
Vitamin E helps maintain healthy skin and eyes, and strengthen the body's natural defence against illness and infection (the immune system).
Good Sources
Vitamin E is a group of compounds found in a wide variety of foods.
Good sources include:
- plant oils – such as rapeseed (vegetable oil), sunflower, soya, corn and olive oil
- nuts and seeds
- wheatgerm – found in cereals and cereal product
How Much You Need
According to UK health guidelines, the amount of vitamin E you need is:
- 4mg a day for men
- 3mg a day for women
You should be able to get all the vitamin E you need from your diet.
Any vitamin E your body does not need immediately is stored for future use, so you do not need it in your diet every day.
What Happens If You Take Too Much
There is not enough evidence to know what the effects might be of taking high doses of vitamin E supplements each day.
Official Advice
UK Department of Health and Social Care advice:
You should be able to get the amount of vitamin E you need by eating a varied and balanced diet.
If you take vitamin E supplements, do not take too much as this could be harmful.
Taking 540mg (800 IU) or less a day of vitamin E supplements is unlikely to cause any harm.
Our content undergoes a thorough process of research, writing, peer review, and rigorous checks and approvals. It is designed for educational purposes and is freely accessible for individual patients to read and share. For detailed information regarding usage, copyright, and disclaimers, please visit our Terms & Conditions page.
Checked & Approved
Clinical Review Team
Written & Translated
Medical Publishing Team
Last Updated
12 May 2025
Start writing here...