Is Taking Too Much Vitamin E Bad For You?

Vitamin E is a nutrient found naturally in a variety of common foods, as well as in fortified foods and supplements. Typically, there are no health risks associated with vitamin E obtained from food sources. However, if you take too much supplemental vitamin E, there is the potential for you to trigger the onset of bleeding or a bleeding-related stroke. Talk to your doctor before you take vitamin E supplements.

Basics

There are 12 different substances technically classified as vitamin E, the Linus Pauling Institute reports. However, the human body maintains a supply of only one form of the vitamin, called alpha-tocopherol. Inside your body, alpha-tocopherol acts as an antioxidant, and it achieves its effects by reducing the activity of waste particles called free radicals, which you produce naturally and also absorb from smoke and other environmental pollutants. Free radicals have a marked tendency to damage fat cells. Alpha-tocopherol, which is absorbed in the presence of fat, is particularly well-positioned to protect these cells.

Problems at Excessive Dosages

The Institute of Medicine has set a maximum safe daily alpha-tocopherol intake of 1,000 UL for adults, while teenagers can safely take as much as 800 UL per day. Younger children have even lower safe intake levels. If you exceed established intake limits, you can potentially reduce your blood's normal tendency to clot and prevent uncontrolled bleeding, according to MayoClinic.com and the National Institutes of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements. In turn, reduction in normal clotting can trigger bleeding in your gums and/or elevate your chances for experiencing a hemorrhagic stroke, which occurs when blood from a ruptured blood vessel seeps into surrounding brain tissue.

Problems at Normal Dosages

Supplemental vitamin E can also potentially cause health problems when taken in amounts below established maximum levels, the Office of Dietary Supplements reports. Relatively rare problems include blurred vision, fatigue, dizziness, weakness, headache, flu-like symptoms, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, reduced kidney function and sexual dysfunction. If you use topical vitamin E or deodorants containing vitamin E, you can develop symptoms that include eczema, contact dermatitis or other skin reactions. Use of oral vitamin E is also associated with small, medically significant increases in your overall chances of dying.

Considerations

In addition to its connection to natural vitamin E supplements, bleeding is associated with repeated high doses of a synthetic, IV-administered form of the vitamin called all-rac-alpha-tocopherol. Avoid using any form of supplemental vitamin E if you have an eye disorder called retinitis pigmentosa. If you're pregnant, limit your intake of the vitamin to food sources unless your doctor specifically advises otherwise. The studies that link vitamin E use to an increased chance of dying may be flawed for a variety of reasons, MayoClinic.com notes. However, as of 2011, no firm findings contradict their results. To avoid any potential risks, limit your use of supplemental forms of the vitamin whenever possible and consult your doctor for more information.