Alpha-tocopherol

Studies in people

• Open question

  Vitamin E source comparison²

  Scientists do not yet know whether natural or synthetic alpha-tocopherol works better for preventing disease in people.

• Concern

  Bone health³

  Alpha-tocopherol may help bones at the right dose, but high doses might be harmful; human studies haven't proven harm.

• No harm found

  Cholesterol in diabetes⁴

  In people with diabetes, alpha-tocopherol pills did not change cholesterol levels, except possibly when taken for many weeks.

• Concern

  Vitamin E balance in the body⁵

  Taking alpha-tocopherol supplements lowers the amount of gamma-tocopherol in your blood.

• Benefit

  Bone thinning risk⁶

  In adults 50 and older, high alpha-tocopherol intake with low cadmium exposure was linked to lower osteoporosis risk.

• Concern

  High-dose supplement risks⁷

  Taking high doses of alpha-tocopherol supplements has been linked to higher death rates and heart problems.

• Benefit

  Inflammation marker reduction⁸

  Alpha-tocopherol lowers CRP levels, a sign of inflammation, in diabetics and nondiabetics.

• Benefit

  Colon cancer risk markers¹⁰

  In people eating a meat-heavy diet, alpha-tocopherol supplements seemed to blunt some diet-related changes tied to colon cancer risk.

• No harm found

  Lung function in cystic fibrosis¹²

  In children with cystic fibrosis, higher alpha-tocopherol levels in the blood did not protect lung function.

• Open question

  Cancer risk and genes¹³

  In two large studies, alpha-tocopherol lowered cancer rates in some people and raised them in others, depending on their genes.

• Open question

  Insulin sensitivity in kidney disease¹⁴

  In older men with kidney disease, higher blood levels of alpha-tocopherol tracked with better insulin sensitivity, though dietary vitamin E did not.

Animal and lab studies only

• Benefit

  Allergic airway inflammation¹⁸

  In mice, alpha-tocopherol reduced allergic airway inflammation, but it did not work in mice without the LKB1 gene.

• Open question

  Vitamin E forms compared¹⁹

  In animal studies, all-rac-alpha-tocopherol and RRR-alpha-tocopherol did not show the same effects at different doses.

• No harm found

  DNA damage in cells²⁰

  In lab studies, alpha-tocopherol showed no DNA damage in cells, though human effects remain unclear.

Study type not stated

• Open question

  Vitamin E activity in the body¹⁵

  Alpha-tocopherol comes in natural and synthetic forms, and scientists still debate how well the body uses each one.

• Open question

  Vitamin E strength in the body¹⁶

  Scientists do not yet know whether natural alpha-tocopherol works better in people than the synthetic form.

How it’s made and used

• Colon polyp tissue⁹

  In people with colon polyps, taking alpha-tocopherol raised its levels in the polyps but not much in normal colon tissue.

• Vitamin E intake shortfall¹¹

  Most US men and women get less alpha-tocopherol from food than experts recommend.

• Nerve and muscle health¹⁷

  In animal studies, alpha-tocopherol is needed for normal nerve and muscle function, but how low levels cause problems over time is unknown.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.