Consumers who want to enjoy the health benefits of vitamin E can do so by either having a healthy diet or by taking vitamin E supplements. In most cases, supplements are not necessary to achieve this, although careful diet planning is necessary to ensure that you are not vitamin E deficient. This article will focus specifically on two of the clearest and unique health benefits of vitamin E, which include eye health and skin health. While vitamin E’s antioxidant properties are extremely noteworthy, there is still an abundance of nutraceutical companies that offer products with these qualities. Vitamin E can be taken with other products such as vitamin C and zinc to help meet your health goals or to alleviate the symptoms of certain medical conditions.
Vitamin E first became popular in the 1980s when scientists began to focus on how free radical damage was responsible for a plethora of health issues, including cancer, vision issues, and other chronic health conditions. As an antioxidant, vitamin E is very useful in helping to combat free radical damage, thus providing extensive health benefits. Vitamin E also has anti-inflammatory properties, which also provide numerous health benefits. Vitamin E is commonly found in foods like nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, seeds, and leafy green vegetables. Vitamin E performs several functions in the body thus making it an essential nutrient to be included in our daily diet.
How much vitamin E do I need?
The chart below shows how much Vitamin E each age group must consume daily in milligrams.
| Group | Age | Recommended Amount |
| Toddlers | 0 – 6 months | 4 mg |
| Infants | 7–12 months | 5 mg |
| Children | 1–3 years | 6 mg |
| Children | 4–8 years | 7 mg |
| Children | 9–13 years | 11 mg |
| Teens | 14–18 years | 15 mg |
| Pregnant teens and women | 15 mg | |
| Adults | 19 and above | 15 mg |
| Breastfeeding teens and women | 19 mg |
Source: NIH
The amount of vitamin E that you need increases with age, and pregnant women need more vitamin E. However, most people are able to get enough vitamin E from their diet, and excessive vitamin E levels can lead to health issues in some cases. Older people and preterm infants could potentially benefit from vitamin E, but there are certainly risks associated with excessive vitamin E levels.
Older people can also benefit from taking vitamin E supplements, as it can potentially help with conditions such as Alzheimer’s according to some studies. However, excessive vitamin E levels can increase the risk of prostate cancer in older people.
Moreover, vitamin E supplementation can also be useful for preterm infants and potentially provide numerous health benefits according to the World Health Organization. However, excessive vitamin E can lead to life-threatening conditions such as sepsis.
Natural Sources of Vitamin E
There are plenty of sources of Vitamin E found in different types of foods both natural and fortified. If you want to include Vitamin E into your diet, try getting vitamin E from the following foods:
- Green vegetables, such as spinach and broccoli, provide some vitamin E.
- Vegetable oils like wheat germ, sunflower, and safflower oils are among the best sources of vitamin E. Corn and soybean oils also provide some vitamin E.
- Nuts (such as peanuts, hazelnuts, and, especially, almonds) and seeds (like sunflower seeds) are also among the best sources of vitamin E.
- Food companies add vitamin E to some breakfast cereals, fruit juices, margarines and spreads, and other foods. To find out which ones have vitamin E, check the product labels.
| Food | Amount of vitamin E per serving | % of Daily Value ( 15mg per day) |
| Spinach ( boiled) | 2.03mg | 14% |
| Broccoli | 1.2 mg | 8% |
| Wheat Germ Oil | 20.3 mg | 135% |
| Sunflower seeds | 10 mg | 66% |
| Almonds | 7.3 mg | 47% |
| Hazelnuts | 4.3 mg | 29% |
| Sunflower Oil | 5.6mg | 37% |
Source: NutraProse Compiled
As you can see, wheat germ oil and various types of nuts, including almonds and hazelnuts, provide adequate levels of vitamin E. If you are able to incorporate these into your diet, then you will definitely not need vitamin E supplements.
Consumers who have a healthy diet that consists of meat, fruit, and vegetables could potentially not be getting enough vitamin E. If you are going to rely on spinach for vitamin E, be sure to boil it, as raw spinach has less vitamin E. Peanut butter is also another great way to get your vitamin E, as two tablespoons contain nearly 20% of the RDV of vitamin E.
The Health Benefits of Vitamin E
Many types of nutraceutical products contain antioxidants, which help the body fight off free radicals. Products like these, including vitamin E, have a plethora of health benefits. Vitamin E also provides skin and eye health benefits, and could potentially help offset cancer. More studies are also being conducted in areas such as blood health for example. Vitamin E may be able to do more than we currently know.
Acts as an antioxidant
As a fat-soluble nutrient, vitamin E functions mainly as an antioxidant, which means it helps protect cells from damage caused by free radicals. Antioxidants protect cells from damage, and they might aid in lowering the risk of a variety of health problems, from heart disease to cancer, and possibly even dementia. Vitamin E is also vital to a functioning immune system. As a powerful antioxidant, it helps cells fight off infections. Other nutraceutical products with antioxidant properties include spirulina, turmeric, and products with acai berries.
Vitamin E is Good for Your eyes
Vitamin E has been linked to eye health, and may potentially be able to reduce the risk of older people developing cataracts. However, studies around this topic have produced mixed conclusions. However, there is evidence that various types of antioxidants and antiinflammatory products, including vitamin E, play a key role in improving eye health. By consuming adequate levels of vitamin E, vitamin C, zinc, and omega 3 fatty acids, one can help to delay the onset of or potentially prevent various eye health issues. Vitamin E is good for your eyes and could help you avoid vision issues, but it is certainly not one of the sole factors in improving your eye health.
Improving Your Skin Health
If you’re looking for natural ways to support healthy skin, vitamins are important to help maintain skin appearance and health. The best source of vitamins is from nutrient-rich foods, but vitamin supplements and topical products containing vitamins can also be beneficial. Vitamin E has become somewhat popular in this space, as it can help to improve skin health among many other things.
In addition to helping skin look its best, vitamin E can be used to treat a variety of skin conditions like acne, psoriasis, and the aging effects from sun exposure on your skin. Vitamin E has also been shown to potentially be able to fight diseases such as melasma and skin cancer. A lot of studies also focus on how vitamin E can be combined with other well-known products, such as vitamin C or zinc supplements.
Other Potential Health Benefits
Below are some of the other potential health benefits of vitamin E. Some of these claims are currently in question and have not been confirmed. Further studies are needed to know the full range of benefits of vitamin E.
Studies have shown that adequate vitamin E levels may be able to improve your blood health. Vitamin E may be able to reduce the risk of blood clots and help your body produce more red blood cells.
Vitamin E may be able to help with cancer, but the results are mixed. Many scientists believe that products with antioxidants can help offset various forms of cancer. Overall, the results are mixed and there is nothing that special about vitamin E relative to other nutraceutical products with antioxidants.
Vitamin E may have pain relief properties according to several studies although the results are not entirely clear. The main reason for this is its anti-inflammatory properties. Studies have focused on how vitamin E can help with anything from osteoarthritis to menstrual pain. Due to limited studies, it is also less clear how vitamin E compares to other nutraceutical products such as turmeric for example.
Vitamin E consumption can also help lower the risk of coronary heart disease in middle-aged to older men and women. However, vitamin E has not been established as a primary or secondary treatment for this health condition.
Final Thoughts
The health benefits of vitamin E are extremely diverse, and luckily vitamin E has been studied extensively since the 1980s. There is adequate data about the health benefits of vitamin E, as well as other popular nutraceutical products such as vitamin C, zinc supplements, and other products that help the body fight free radicals. As an antioxidant, vitamin E provides general health benefits that may offset some of the health issues associated with aging. Notably, the ability of vitamin E to potentially offset skin and eye health issues is intriguing to us, and perhaps one of its most unique set of health benefits.
The vitamin E market is projected to grow by around 3.3% during the next 5 years, as consumers become increasingly aware of the health benefits of vitamin E. Consumers in areas of Asia Pacific, in particular, could help drive growth, especially for products related to skin health. Nutraceutical companies can also take advantage of this growth opportunity by producing functional food products, and marketing them to countries where both incomes and health education are rising. However, other types of nutraceutical products will likely experience more rapid growth, given that there are many natural sources of vitamin E. Therefore, the growth potential of the vitamin E supplements market is limited, while skin products have more long-term growth potential.
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