Vitamin E supplements and exercise performance in athletes
What it found
In people, vitamin E supplements, alone or with vitamin C, mostly did not improve exercise performance, and in some studies they blunted training adaptations.
Benefits were seen mainly in athletes training at altitude or taking a single dose before a big event.
What they found
Studies in people
Performance effects mixed
Across human studies, vitamin E alone or with vitamin C showed mixed results: some found no effect, a few found benefit, and some found harm. A meta-analysis found vitamin E neither enhanced nor blunted training adaptations like aerobic capacity, strength or lean mass.
Blunted training adaptations
Several human studies found that vitamin C and E supplements blunted some cellular adaptations to endurance training, such as mitochondrial biogenesis and antioxidant enzyme responses. However, maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) was not negatively affected.
Muscle mass and strength
Effects on muscle mass and strength were inconsistent. Some studies in older adults found benefits, while others in young adults found no gain or even less increase in lean mass with supplements.
Acute versus chronic use
Acute (single dose) antioxidant supplementation may improve performance during high-intensity exercise with short recovery, but chronic supplementation may impair training adaptations. Little research has focused only on acute vitamin E.
Studies in people and animals
Altitude training
Vitamin E may help athletes training at altitude by reducing red blood cell deformation, but results are still inconclusive. An animal study found that combined vitamin E and C protected against lung damage from swimming at high altitude.
Other findings
Safety and food sources
Mega doses of vitamin E through supplements can cause gastric distress and increased bleeding risk. Getting too much vitamin E from food alone is nearly impossible. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables is recommended to meet antioxidant needs.
What the authors conclude
“Based on current evidence, with the possible exception of athletes partaking in altitude training or acute, high stakes performances, vitamin E supplementation, with or without vitamin C, may not provide additional benefits for athletes.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that with the possible exception of athletes training at altitude or doing acute, high-stakes performances, vitamin E supplementation, with or without vitamin C, may not provide additional benefits for athletes.
- They advise athletes to focus on consuming a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and other plant foods rich in antioxidants instead of high-dose supplements.
- They state that special caution should be taken with vitamin E and C supplements because they tend to block anabolic signaling pathways and impair adaptations to resistance training.
How it was done
Athletes often take antioxidant supplements hoping to reduce muscle damage and fatigue from exercise. The authors wanted to review whether vitamin E, alone or with vitamin C, actually helps performance or interferes with training adaptations.
The authors searched PubMed, Scopus and Web of Sciences up to October 2020 for studies giving vitamin C or vitamin E, alone or together, alongside an exercise training programme. They included both short-term and long-term supplementation studies and looked at performance, muscle damage, adaptations and safety.
What it can’t tell you
- Most studies were short-term and varied in dose, duration and type of exercise, so results cannot be generalised to all athletes.
- Many studies combined vitamin E with vitamin C, so the effects of vitamin E alone cannot be determined.
- Very few studies included female athletes, so conclusions for women cannot be made.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- Acadia University, Canada; Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran
The paper
- Title
- Antioxidants and Exercise Performance: With a Focus on Vitamin E and C Supplementation
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Higgins MR, Izadi A, Kaviani M (2020). Antioxidants and Exercise Performance: With a Focus on Vitamin E and C Supplementation. International journal of environmental research and public health. doi:10.3390/ijerph17228452Free full textPubMed 33203106DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error