Which foods are high in vitamin E, and how much?

Vitamin E is highest in plant oils, nuts and seeds. In the US Department of Agriculture's FoodData Central, 100 g of sunflower oil has 41.08 mg of alpha-tocopherol (the main form of vitamin E), rice bran oil 32.3 mg, dry-roasted almonds 23.9 mg and palm oil 15.94 mg, while leafy greens and fruit in the same database have about 0.3 to 3 mg per 100 g. A Malaysian study found much higher values in sweet leaf (phak wan ban) and makrut lime leaves, about 40 mg per 100 g. The Thai Reference Daily Intake (Thai RDI) for vitamin E is 9 mg α-TE a day.

In short:

• Highest per 100 g: wheat germ oil, sunflower oil and seeds, safflower oil, rice bran oil and almonds
• Per serving: 1 ounce (about 28 g) of sunflower seeds 7.4 mg, almonds 6.8 mg; 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil 5.6 mg
• Thai foods: sweet leaf, makrut lime leaves, sweet potato shoots, moringa leaves; rice contains small amounts, mostly as tocotrienols
• Daily amount: Thai RDI 9 mg α-TE

This article lists the amounts of vitamin E in foods only. For the different forms of vitamin E (tocopherols, tocotrienols, natural and synthetic), see Natural and synthetic vitamin E: how do they differ?

Which foods are highest in vitamin E?

The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) says nuts, seeds and vegetable oils are among the best sources of alpha-tocopherol, and that significant amounts are also found in green leafy vegetables and fortified cereals. The UK's NHS lists plant oils such as rapeseed, sunflower, soya, corn and olive oil, nuts and seeds, and wheatgerm as good sources.

Plant oils, per 100 g

The values below are from FoodData Central (SR Legacy). The first column is alpha-tocopherol. Where the database also lists gamma-tocopherol, another form of vitamin E, it is shown in the second column.

A dash means the database gives no value. Soybean oil is a useful example: it has less alpha-tocopherol than most oils but a lot of gamma-tocopherol. The ODS says most of the vitamin E in American diets is gamma-tocopherol from soybean, canola, corn and other vegetable oils.

Nuts and seeds, per 100 g

Nuts differ a great deal in which form they contain. Almonds, hazelnuts and sunflower seeds are mostly alpha-tocopherol, while walnuts, pistachios and pumpkin seeds are mostly gamma-tocopherol. A 2017 review from the University of Fribourg describes the same pattern in plant seeds: sunflower and wheat seeds hold mostly the alpha form, while rapeseed and maize hold both alpha and gamma forms.

Vegetables, fruit, eggs and fish, per 100 g

These foods have far less vitamin E per 100 g than oils and nuts, but they are eaten in larger amounts.

How much vitamin E is in one serving?

The ODS gives values per typical serving, based on USDA data. The last column compares each serving with the Thai RDI of 9 mg.

The last column was calculated by the writer, dividing the ODS value by 9 mg (the Thai RDI), as a rough comparison. The ODS values are in mg of alpha-tocopherol, while the Thai RDI is in mg α-TE, so the units are not exactly the same.

Why oils and nuts lead the table

The University of Fribourg review cited above notes that seed oils are the main source of vitamin E in the human diet, and seeds and their oils sit at the top of this table too. Oils are used a spoonful at a time, so their share per serving is smaller than the per 100 g figures suggest, while a small handful of seeds or almonds supplies a large share.

Which Thai and Southeast Asian vegetables contain vitamin E?

A 2001 study from Universiti Putra Malaysia measured alpha-tocopherol in 62 edible tropical plants by HPLC. Many of them are also eaten in Thailand. The table shows selected plants from the study; the values are per kg of edible portion.

The study did not detect alpha-tocopherol in cabbage (Brassica oleracea), torch ginger (Phaeomeria speciosa), jicama (Pachyrrhizus), the oyster mushroom known in Thailand as hed nang fa (Pleurotus sajor-caju) or eggplant (Solanum melongena). To compare these figures with the per 100 g tables above, divide by 10. The study was done in Malaysia more than 20 years ago, so Thai produce may give different values.

How much vitamin E is in Thai rice and rice bran oil?

Rice is eaten at almost every Thai meal, and its vitamin E is mostly in the form of tocotrienols rather than tocopherols.

Local rice varieties

A study by the Thai Rice Department and its rice research centres in Ubon Ratchathani and Nong Khai analysed 101 local rice varieties (85 glutinous and 16 non-glutinous) grown in the 2016 wet season in north-eastern Thailand. Gamma-tocotrienol was the main form of vitamin E in every sample, while the other forms were present in small amounts. The two standard varieties had:

Across the local varieties, gamma-tocotrienol ranged from 8.00 to 22.1 mg per kg in glutinous rice and from 8.80 to 17.58 mg per kg in non-glutinous rice. The study covered one region and one season.

Rice bran oil

Most of the vitamin E in rice sits in the bran, which is pressed for oil. A Chiang Mai University study developed a method to measure tocopherols and tocotrienols together with other compounds in rice bran and vegetable oil samples, and found a wide range of total tocols, from 22.4 to 1,774.6 µg per g. A 2018 study led by Naresuan University compared bran oil from black rice (Hom Nin), red rice (Red Jasmine) and Khao Dawk Mali 105. The variety mattered more than the extraction method: black rice bran oil had the highest tocopherols and tocotrienols, followed by red rice and Khao Dawk Mali 105, and cold-pressed oils had more than oils extracted with carbon dioxide or solvent.

Does cooking or storage change it?

A study from the Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University cooked white rice, brown rice and parboiled germinated brown rice of Khao Dawk Mali 105 by steaming, boiling and frying. Tocotrienols were the most abundant form in the brown and germinated brown rice, and the germinated brown rice had more tocols than brown or white rice. Steaming kept more of the compounds measured than boiling or frying, although total tocols rose slightly after frying. A Chiang Mai University study of two Thai black rice varieties found that glutinous black rice stored as paddy at a cool room temperature kept more vitamin E than paddy stored at ordinary room temperature.

Why do food tables list alpha-tocopherol separately?

Vitamin E is a group of compounds. The ODS says vitamin E occurs naturally in eight forms (four tocopherols and four tocotrienols), and that the US recommended intakes are set for alpha-tocopherol. Food tables therefore list alpha-tocopherol separately, and some also list other forms, which shows which forms each food is rich in: soybean oil and walnuts in gamma-tocopherol, for example, and rice in gamma-tocotrienol. The Thai RDI for vitamin E is expressed in mg α-TE (alpha-tocopherol equivalents). For the full list of Thai RDIs, see What are the Thai daily reference amounts for each nutrient?

How much vitamin E do you need a day, and how much is too much?

The Thai RDI for vitamin E is 9 mg α-TE a day, for the general population aged 3 and over. The NHS says people should be able to get all the vitamin E they need from their diet, and that any vitamin E the body does not need immediately is stored for future use, so it does not have to come from the diet every day.

Upper limits

The ODS says research has not found any adverse effects from consuming vitamin E in food. The US Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (ULs) below apply to vitamin E from supplements (all forms of supplemental alpha-tocopherol).

The ODS says these limits were set because of the potential for effects on bleeding. The NHS says taking 540 mg (800 IU) or less a day of vitamin E supplements is unlikely to cause any harm. Vitamin E can come from more than one product, such as a multivitamin as well as a single-ingredient product, so the amounts add up.

For how fats and oils used in cooking differ in their fat content, see How do cooking oils differ, and what fats do they contain?

Who should talk to a doctor or pharmacist?

People who take regular medication

The ODS says vitamin E supplements can interact with some medicines, including medicines that slow blood clotting. If you take medication regularly, ask a doctor or pharmacist before adding vitamin E.

Pregnant and breastfeeding women

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, talk to a doctor or pharmacist before taking any dietary supplement, including vitamin E.

Dietary supplements are not intended to prevent, treat or cure any disease.