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Vitamin E

Supplement vitamin skin & hairheart & metabolic
Aka: tocopherol, d-alpha-tocopherol, tocotrienols
Brands seen in Singapore: California Gold Nutrition, Life Extension, 21st Century, NOW Foods, Swanson Vitamins
Not medical advice. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before you start, stop or change the timing of anything you take.
How to use
What it’s for
Antioxidant · deficiency is rare outside fat malabsorption
When to take
With a meal that has fat · the gut needs fat to absorb it
Take with
Food with fat · acetate and succinate esters absorb as well
Pros & cons
Pros
  • RDA 15 mg a day for adults (alpha-tocopherol only)
  • Natural d-alpha is twice as active per mg as synthetic
  • Frank deficiency is rare in healthy people
Cons
  • High doses inhibit platelet aggregation; bleeding risk
  • Select trial: 400 IU/day → 17% more prostate cancer
  • Trials show no heart-disease benefit from supplements
Sources
  1. NIH ODS — Vitamin E Fact Sheet for Health Professionals (updated March 26, 2021) — Introduction + Table 1 RDAs (14+ years row: male · female · pregnancy · lactation) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant … The FNB's vitamin E recommendations are for alpha-tocopherol alone, the only form maintained in plasma … 14+ years 15 mg 15 mg 15 mg 19 mg”
  2. NIH ODS — Vitamin E Fact Sheet for Health Professionals (updated March 26, 2021) — Recommended Intakes (IU conversion) + Dietary supplements (natural vs synthetic) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “1 mg of alpha-tocopherol is equivalent to 1.49 IU of the natural form or 2.22 IU of the synthetic form … A given amount of synthetic alpha-tocopherol … is therefore only half as active as the same amount … of the natural form”
  3. NIH ODS — Vitamin E Fact Sheet for Health Professionals (updated March 26, 2021) — Vitamin E Deficiency (fat absorption) + Dietary supplements (esters) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Because the digestive tract requires fat to absorb vitamin E … The body hydrolyzes and absorbs these esters (alpha-tocopheryl acetate and succinate) as efficiently as alpha-tocopherol”
  4. NIH ODS — Vitamin E Fact Sheet for Health Professionals (updated March 26, 2021) — Vitamin E Deficiency + Groups at Risk of Vitamin E Inadequacy · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Frank vitamin E deficiency is rare … people with fat-malabsorption disorders are more likely to become deficient … People with Crohn's disease, cystic fibrosis, or an inability to secrete bile from the liver into the digestive tract”
  5. NIH ODS — Vitamin E Fact Sheet for Health Professionals (updated March 26, 2021) — Health Risks from Excessive Vitamin E + Table 3 ULs (19+ years row) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The ULs apply to all forms of supplemental alpha-tocopherol … Doses of up to 1,000 mg/day (1,500 IU/day of the natural form or 1,100 IU/day of the synthetic form) in adults appear to be safe … 19+ years 1,000 mg”
  6. NIH ODS — Vitamin E Fact Sheet for Health Professionals (updated March 26, 2021) — Health Risks from Excessive Vitamin E (bleeding) + Interactions: Anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “High doses of alpha-tocopherol supplements can cause hemorrhage … in animals, and in vitro data suggest that high doses inhibit platelet aggregation … Taking large doses with anticoagulant or antiplatelet medications, such as warfarin (Coumadin), can increase the risk of bleeding”
  7. NIH ODS — Vitamin E Fact Sheet for Health Professionals (updated March 26, 2021) — Vitamin E and Health: Cancer (SELECT trial) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “vitamin E supplements (400 IU/day [180 mg]) … may harm adult men … by increasing their risk of prostate cancer … the men who had taken the vitamin E had a 17% increased risk of prostate cancer”
  8. NIH ODS — Vitamin E Fact Sheet for Health Professionals (updated March 26, 2021) — Vitamin E and Health: Coronary heart disease · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “In general, clinical trials have not provided evidence that routine use of vitamin E supplements prevents cardiovascular disease or reduces its morbidity and mortality”
  9. NIH ODS — Vitamin E Fact Sheet for Health Professionals (updated March 26, 2021) — Interactions with Medications (Simvastatin and niacin; Chemotherapy and radiotherapy) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “This collection of antioxidant ingredients blunted the rise in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels … Oncologists generally advise against the use of antioxidant supplements during cancer chemotherapy or radiotherapy because they might reduce the effectiveness of these therapies”
  10. FDA — Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels, Reference Guide: Daily Values for Nutrients (content current as of 03/05/2024) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “DVs are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume or not to exceed each day … Vitamin E 15mg alpha-tocopherol”
  11. HSA Singapore — Health Supplements Guidelines GL-CHPB-3-001 Rev. No. 020 (January 2026), s4.8 general-adult limits, Table 4 Vitamins Limits + List of Health Claims row 67 · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Table 4: Vitamins Limits … Vitamin E 536mg (800IU) … An antioxidant that protects the fat in body tissues from oxidation • Vitamin E”
  12. HSA Singapore — Guidelines on Prohibited and Restricted Ingredients in Health Supplements and Traditional Medicines, GL-CHPB-1-012 Rev. 001 (October 2025), Annex A row 115 · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “115. Vitamin E Restricted use in HS and TM Maximum Daily Dose When for oral use by general adult population, the maximum recommended daily dose should not provide more than 536mg (800IU)”
  13. iHerb Singapore — Vitamin E category, default order (SGD pricing) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “California Gold Nutrition, Sunflower Vitamin E … 400 IU … Life Extension, Super Selenium Complex & Vitamin E … 21st Century, Vitamin E, 180 mg (400 IU) … NOW Foods, E-400, 268 mg (400 IU) … Swanson Vitamins, Vitamin E-400, 180.2 mg (400 IU)”
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Updated 2026-08-29. Every line above traces to a numbered source. Kozen-X is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. It lists what published sources have written down — nothing more. A pair not listed is unrecorded, not cleared. Before you start, stop or re-time anything, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.