Vitamin E is one of the four fat-soluble vitamins that are essential for your health. It is well known for its role in skin health and has also become increasingly popular for its role in boosting immunity. However, vitamin E plays many other important roles in your body. Whilst your body can produce some vitamins, vitamin E can only be received through nutrition. This makes it important that you ensure you receive enough vitamin E through your diet. Let's take a look at natural vitamin E sources and how you can use these to your advantage.
There are eight different forms of vitamin E. These are (1):
This vitamin is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning fat is needed in order for it to be absorbed into your body. This requires some fat in the meal or food item to enhance absorption. Because it is soluble in fat, vitamin E can be stored in the body. On a practical note, this means that you do not need to take vitamin E daily; rather, you need a specific amount over time. This will depend on your age and current cycle of life. Daily recommended amounts are as follows (2):
If you do not receive enough vitamin E, it can cause various symptoms including (2):
However, a deficiency in vitamin E is rare, as there are many foods fortified with vitamin E. This means that vitamin E is added to them during the production of the foods (2).
If you are wondering, what food has vitamin E, the good news is that there are many different food sources of natural vitamin E. Foods with high vitamin E, include foods from five different categories, namely:
Fish, fruits, and vegetables are lower in natural vitamin E than nuts, seeds, and cooking oils; however, these foods do contain other nutrients that contribute to your health. Additionally, it is recommended that you get five portions of fruits and vegetables daily. If you do focus on fruits and vegetables that contain vitamin E, five portions of these foods will increase your vitamin E intake.
This category is one that contains some of the highest amounts of natural vitamin E. The form it contains is alpha-tocopherol, one of the most active forms of vitamin E. The top five nuts and seeds highest in vitamin E are:
Sunflower seeds: 7.4 mg per one ounceThese nuts and seeds can be easy to incorporate in your diet. They can be added into sauces, salads, and garnishes and can also be eaten separately as a snack. They are also high in energy and can help to keep those hunger pangs at bay.
These oils can be used in the cooking process and can also be added to sauces and dressings. The cooking oils with a high vitamin E content are:
Most of the animal proteins high in vitamin E are seafood with a few exceptions. The top five animal protein sources of vitamin E are:
Abalone, whilst one of the highest animal protein sources of vitamin E, has been extensively harvested, reducing populations of this mollusk. This has led to companies requiring a permit to harvest it. However, if the abalone is farmed, then it does not need a permit and is legal. If you do want to use abalone as a natural vitamin E source, check to make sure the company has either a permit or is farming the abalone.
The top five fruits highest in vitamin E are:
You may note that the portion sizes will vary depending on the fruit. If you are looking to increase your vitamin E content in fruit, be mindful of the portion sizes.
Like fruit, the portion sizes will vary; therefore, it is important to be mindful of the different portion sizes. The top five vegetables high in vitamin E are:
Since vitamin E is soluble in fat, fat is necessary to enhance absorption. Some of the natural vitamin E sources such as nuts, seeds, oils, and animal protein will naturally contain fat. This will help to enhance the absorption of vitamin E. Fruits and vegetables, with the exception of avocado, will not contain fat or only contain small amounts. This will then affect your ability to absorb vitamin E in fruits and vegetables.
To help enhance the absorption of the vitamin E in fruits and vegetables, adding a source of fat can help. This can mean using an oil in the cooking process, such as in sauteeing or stir-frying, or adding a dressing to salads. Additionally, you can also add a source of fat to the meal such as nuts, oils, or protein.
Whilst many may know that vitamin E is an essential vitamin, you may be wondering why you should be focusing on receiving vitamin E through nutrition. Vitamin E has many important functions such as:
One of the biggest roles of vitamin E is helping to enhance your immunity. Vitamin E is an antioxidant. During stress, illness, and even in response to pollutants, your body produces free radicals. These are unstable molecules that can cause damage to your body. This can prolong illness, increase complications during illness, increase inflammation, and increase the effects of aging on your body. Antioxidants, such as vitamin E, help to neutralize these free radicals preventing further and future damage to your body.
Additionally, vitamin E can help to modulate your immune function. Research shows that a vitamin E deficiency impairs the functioning of your immune system and that it can be corrected by taking vitamin E (3). Alpha-tocopherol is one form of vitamin E that has been shown to have these immune-boosting properties. Evidence suggests that the other forms of vitamin E may also have these properties, but more research is necessary.
Certain digestive conditions such as pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, and celiac disease may increase your vitamin E requirements (1). Additionally, different factors such as stress may also increase your requirements.
Stress is one of the factors that may increase your requirements and is not as well known as the others. During stress, your adrenal glands produce stress hormones such as cortisol to help your body respond to the stress. When the stress, subsides, the production of cortisol will decrease as well. However, when the stress persists, this can deplete your adrenal glands, causing chronically low levels of cortisol. Additionally, the system in your body that helps to support your body during stress, the NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) Stress Response System, starts to become imbalanced.
This causes the onset of Adrenal Fatigue,a condition where the body is unable to keep up with long-term stress, resulting in various nonspecific symptoms such as brain fog, tiredness, sleep disturbances, anxiousness, and weight gain. One of the circuits in the NEM system that can become imbalanced is the Inflammation circuit. This circuit is responsible for regulating inflammation in your body and consists of the immune system, gastrointestinal tract, and gut microbiome.
An imbalance in this circuit can cause imbalances within the three different parts that make up this circuit and this can then cause a range of different symptoms such as aches and pains, frequent periods of illness, and gut symptoms. Vitamin E can help individuals with an imbalance within this circuit through its ability to help modulate the immune system, and through its antioxidant properties, it may help to reduce inflammation within the body. This may help to reduce symptoms that occur due to an increase in inflammation.
Whilst natural vitamin E sources are recommended to increase your intake of vitamin E, sometimes relying purely on these natural vitamin E sources may not be possible. For example, this could be due to medical conditions increasing your vitamin E requirements, or a low intake of vitamin E due to food allergies or a lack of food availability.
Vitamin E supplementation can come in handy for individuals who are not able to meet their vitamin E requirements. CannaPlex E by Dr. Lam is one example of a vitamin E supplement. It contains vitamin E in the form of alpha-tocopherol as well as a mix of other tocopherols and selenium. The combination of vitamin E and selenium enhances the action of both these nutrients. The recommended dose of this supplement is one soft gel once a day, preferably with a meal.
If you rely on nutrition to receive your vitamin E, side effects are unlikely. However, side effects may occur with vitamin E supplementation, especially if alpha-tocopherol is used. Some side effects of alpha-tocopherol include:
However, toxicity of vitamin E is rare, and it is the least toxic compared to the other fat-soluble vitamins.
The upper limit for vitamin E is 1000 mg for adults. Doses higher than this may result in toxicity. This makes it important to choose a supplement that contains a dose of vitamin E within the acceptable range.
Vitamin E plays an important role in your immunity and can help to reduce the effects of free radicals on your body. There is a range of natural vitamin E sources including:
Ensuring you have enough of these natural vitamin E sources in your diet can help you reach your vitamin E requirements. There are, however, some individuals who may benefit from a vitamin E supplement in addition to adequate nutrition. These individuals include individuals with gut conditions, certain allergies, and individuals who are experiencing AFS.
If you are currently wondering whether you may require a vitamin E supplement and would like some assistance, our team at Dr. Lam can help. You can call us directly at +1 (626) 571-1234 for a free initial call.
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Medina, Jacquelyn, and Vikas Gupta. "Vitamin E." StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf, 8 May 2023, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557737.
"Vitamin E." Office of Dietary Supplements, https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminE-Consumer/.
Lewis, Erin D., et al. "Regulatory Role of Vitamin E in the Immune System and Inflammation." IUBMB Life, vol. 71, no. 4, Apr. 2019, pp. 487–94, https://doi.org/10.1002/iub.1976.
Everyone will require natural vitamin E for optimal health. However, there are some medical conditions, where you may not be able to take a higher dose of vitamin E, such as through supplementation. These medical conditions include diabetes, bleeding conditions, and a history of a heart attack or stroke.
