Vitamin E
Intake model: one reported food record, food date unconfirmed. References: man aged 19–30. How to read the references.
No change indicated. Several foods contribute; exact total is uncertain because sauce oil is modeled.
Linked eating record; usual intake and clinical status unestablished · Reviewed 2026-10-10
Intake confidence: Moderate. Quantity confidence: Limited. Body status: Unassessed.
FDA values describe food labels.
Vitamin E
19 mg α-tocopherol counted from food.
| Recommended intake | Upper reference | Food label reference |
|---|---|---|
| 15 mg α-tocopherol (RDA) US National Academies · Food and oral supplements | 1,000 mg α-tocopherol (UL) US National Academies · Supplements and fortified foods only | 15 mg α-tocopherol (DV) FDA · Adults and children 4+ Label basis: alpha-tocopherol activity; synthetic-form mass requires conversion. Label rule |
Other authority and form-specific references
- 300 mg α-tocopherol/day (UL)
EFSA · All dietary sources and stereoisomers of α-tocopherolUS 1,000 mg UL covers supplemental/fortified forms. EFSA excludes certain anticoagulant/antiplatelet, secondary-CVD-prevention and K-malabsorption populations from this UL application.
The UL does not apply to naturally occurring vitamin E in ordinary food.
Food contributions and uncertainty
Values are available for 13 of 13 recorded foods. 1 contribution(s) use an incomplete recipe or comparator. Product identity and portion assumptions still limit accuracy.
The saved portion/recipe scenarios span 18.1–20.1 mg α-tocopherol. This is a sensitivity range, not a confidence interval; uncertain food composition and unreported foods can fall outside it.
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| Food | Model portion | Contribution | Source basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| RT RT chimichurri | 56.7 g assumed | 3.9 mg α-tocopherol | Partial recipe estimate |
| Trader Joe's Organic raw almonds | 15 g estimated | 3.8 mg α-tocopherol | Generic USDA comparator |
| Hass avocado | 150 g assumed | 3.1 mg α-tocopherol | Generic USDA comparator |
| Red bell pepper | 150 g assumed | 2.4 mg α-tocopherol | Generic USDA comparator |
| Crown Prince Natural Skinless boneless sardines in olive oil | 80 g assumed | 1.6 mg α-tocopherol | Generic USDA comparator |
| Raspberries | 170 g assumed | 1.5 mg α-tocopherol | Generic USDA comparator |
| Large beefsteak tomato | 182 g assumed | 0.98 mg α-tocopherol | Generic USDA comparator |
| RT RT roast chicken meat and skin | 299 g estimated | 0.81 mg α-tocopherol | Generic USDA comparator |
| Banana | 472 g reported | 0.47 mg α-tocopherol | Generic USDA comparator |
| Navel orange | 140 g assumed | 0.21 mg α-tocopherol | Generic USDA comparator |
| Trader Joe's Organic basmati rice frozen | 283 g reported | 0.11 mg α-tocopherol | Generic USDA comparator |
| Raw English walnuts | 15 g assumed | 0.11 mg α-tocopherol | Generic USDA comparator |
Role and intake references
Vitamin E includes several compounds; alpha-tocopherol is the form used for the human requirement. The adult RDA is 15 mg alpha-tocopherol daily. The 1,000 mg UL concerns supplemental alpha-tocopherol and added forms, rather than vitamin E naturally present in ordinary food. An IU amount also depends on whether the product is natural or synthetic, so the form matters when reading an older label. NIH vitamin E.
What the food record establishes
Attention: No change indicated. The current estimate is approximately 19 mg, with almond, avocado, pepper and fish contributions. About 3.9 mg comes from the modeled olive oil in chimichurri. Its actual recipe is unverified, so that contribution is especially uncertain. The generic food composition and assumed nut and produce quantities also limit precision.
The pattern provides several ordinary sources. There is no intake-based reason here to add a vitamin E supplement. My preference for both almonds and walnuts matters: they serve different nutritional purposes. Replacing all almonds with walnuts changes vitamin E and other nutrients, rather than preserving an identical nut profile. That is a tradeoff to review in the whole diet, not a reason to keep increasing the nut portion.
Antioxidants do not guarantee a benefit
In SELECT, the vitamin E-alone group received 400 IU daily of synthetic vitamin E. The updated analysis found 620 prostate cancers versus 529 with placebo, with hazard ratio 1.17, 99% CI 1.004–1.36. Participants were older men, not young athletes, and the intervention was a concentrated supplement. It argues against assuming a preventive benefit from high-dose vitamin E; it does not show the same harm from almonds. Klein et al., 2011 primary trial.
The result also illustrates why a UL is not an optimal dose or a promise of benefit below it. Long-term clinical outcomes can differ from a plausible antioxidant mechanism.
Training studies require similar care. A 10-week resistance-training trial found altered acute signaling with 1,000 mg vitamin C plus 235 mg vitamin E daily, without a difference in muscle growth or the acute protein-synthesis response. Some strength results differed. These mixed results do not justify the blanket claim that antioxidant vitamins prevent all training gains. Paulsen et al., 2014 resistance-training trial.
Practical implication
The useful default is to retain foods I enjoy and reassess if the portions or oil change. A new high-dose supplement would be a separate decision requiring its own evidence. Intake adequacy and performance optimization should not be collapsed into the same score.