Many of the foods you eat naturally contain vitamin E, but some people opt to take it in a supplemental form because of the potential health benefits. The most common use is in preventing heart disease, but vitamin E also gets attention for its potential effects in preventing cancer, the University of Maryland Medical Center reports. Arthritis sufferers also may benefit because of its effects on joint pain. You shouldn't use supplemental vitamin E without first consulting with your doctor.
Medical Evidence
The use of a vitamin E supplement may help reduce and relieve some of the joint pain experienced with rheumatoid arthritis, the University of Maryland Medical Center reports. In fact, the vitamin may have more pain-relieving ability in RA patients than the standard drug treatments. However, vitamin E supplementation does not appear to reduce the inflammation of the joints that also occurs with RA. You should not use vitamin E supplements to treat joint pain without first consulting with a medical professional.
RDA and Intake Limits
It's best to get vitamin E from the foods you eat rather than from a supplement. The recommended dietary allowance for the vitamin varies by age. For teens and adults 14 and older, it's 15 mg per day, the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Studies reports. Good food sources of vitamin E include almonds; peanuts; hazelnuts; sunflower seeds; sunflower, safflower, corn and soybean oils; kiwis; mangoes; tomatoes; and spinach. When using a vitamin E supplement, adults should not exceed a daily intake of 1,000 mg per day because of the risk of toxicity.
Dosing
If you want to try vitamin E to alleviate joint pain, you can purchase capsules that contain supplemental levels. Based on evidence collected in clinical trials, the recommended clinical dose to treat and prevent illness and disease is between 400 IU and 800 IU per day, the University of Maryland Medical Center reports. Before you use it to help with joint pain, consult with a doctor who can advise you on how to use vitamin E supplements safely and what the best dose is for you.
Side Effects and Precautions
When taken at the safe and recommended doses, vitamin E supplements contain little risk of side effects. However, because of how it acts in the body, it may increase your risk for bleeding, particularly if you have a bleeding disorder or take anticoagulant or antiplatelet medications, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center reports. In addition, use of the supplement increases your risk of hemorrhagic stroke. Because of the potential risks of supplemental levels of vitamin E, you should always consult with a medical professional who knows your health history before taking it.
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