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Can Vitamin E Be Toxic?

Yes, large doses of Vitamin E are toxic.

More Info: High doses of alpha-tocopherol supplements, the only chemical form of vitamin E that is suitable to meet human requirements, can cause hemorrhage and inhibit blood clotting if taken over an extended period.  Unlike water-soluble vitamins that are excreted daily, vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that when ingested in excess of daily requirements is stored in the liver and the fat cells.

The safe upper limit (UL) for adults as set by the Food and Nutrition Board is 1500 IU of natural Vitamin E or 1100 IU of synthetic Vitamin E.  On nutrition labels, natural Vitamin E is listed as either RRR-alpha-tocopherol or d-alpha-tocopherol, while synthetic Vitamin E is listed as either all-rac-alpha-tocopheral or dl-alpha-tocopherol.  In contrast, the Food and Nutrition Board sets a recommended daily allowance (RDA) of only 22.5 IU (15 mg) for adults.

Much of the evidence surrounding vitamin E studies is based on meta-analysis which attempts to take smaller trials and expose trends.  This severely dilutes and even clouds the data as the participants in each study often meet disparate criteria.  The attempts to lump the results together leads to questionable conclusions.