Vitamin EShould vitamin E be taken with food?
Updated 10 Nov 2026
Short answer
Yes, with a meal that contains some fat. The gut needs fat to absorb vitamin E.[1] In a small study of 5 people, a 400 IU capsule taken with a low-fat breakfast was poorly absorbed. The same dose added to a breakfast cereal gave 26 times as much vitamin E in the blood.[2]
How much fat is needed is less clear. In a trial of 20 adults, 15 mg of vitamin E taken with milk containing 0.2 to 7.9 g of fat was absorbed equally well. Healthy adults absorbed about 30% of the dose, and adults with metabolic syndrome about 26%.[3]
Sources (3)
- Vitamin E: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. ods.od.nih.gov
- Vitamin E bioavailability from fortified breakfast cereal is greater than that from encapsulated supplements. Leonard SW, Good CK, Gugger ET, Traber MG Am J Clin Nutr, 2004. PMID 14684402
- α-Tocopherol bioavailability is lower in adults with metabolic syndrome regardless of dairy fat co-ingestion: a randomized, double-blind, crossover trial. Mah E, Sapper TN, Chitchumroonchokchai C, Failla ML, Schill KE, Clinton SK, et al. Am J Clin Nutr, 2015. PMID 26447154
More about vitamin e
What is vitamin E?Which foods contain vitamin E?What is vitamin E used for?Who is at risk of vitamin E deficiency?Is vitamin E safe?Does vitamin E prevent heart disease?For education; not medical advice. Talk to a doctor before you start, stop or change a supplement.