Vitamin E by Integrative Therapeutics

This softgel fits adults whose Vitamin E (Alpha-Tocopherol) level has tested low, or whose clinician has recommended a 400 IU dose. True deficiency is uncommon and mostly follows poor fat absorption: after bariatric surgery, with pancreatic or bile-flow problems, or on a very low-fat diet. Most people who eat nuts, seeds and vegetable oils meet their needs from food, so this is a product to take for a reason, not as a routine add-on.

Vitamin E is a family of related compounds. Each softgel provides 268 mg (400 IU) of d-alpha tocopherol, the natural form the body preferentially keeps in circulation, plus 50 mg of mixed tocopherols (gamma, delta, alpha and beta). Vitamin E is fat-soluble and sits in cell membranes, where it stops the chain reactions that damage fats. Alpha tocopherol taken alone at high doses tends to lower blood levels of gamma tocopherol, which is the reason formulas like this one include the mixed forms.

The label directs adults to swallow 1 softgel daily, or as a healthcare professional recommends. Take it with a meal that contains fat, since vitamin E absorbs poorly without it. One softgel a day is well above everyday dietary needs and below the adult upper limit of 1,000 mg a day. There is no reason to take more than the label directs.

Vitamin E at this dose has a mild blood-thinning effect. If you take warfarin or another anticoagulant, or aspirin, clopidogrel or another antiplatelet medicine, talk to your prescriber first, and ask about stopping before surgery or dental procedures. People with a bleeding disorder or low vitamin K, and anyone having chemotherapy or radiation, should also ask before taking it. If you are pregnant, nursing or taking prescription drugs, consult a healthcare professional before use.

It helps to be clear about the evidence. Large trials of vitamin E at about this dose in generally healthy adults did not show a heart benefit, and one trial in men found a small increase in prostate cancer risk. The sound uses are correcting a low level and specific situations a clinician is managing. If you are repleting, recheck Vitamin E (Alpha-Tocopherol) after 2–3 months and step down once you are in range.