“Vitamin E (as dl-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate)?”Here!Vitamin E
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As a supplement
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Roll Call does not check drug interactions or assess personal safety.
A synthetic, stabilized form of vitamin E. The 'dl-' prefix indicates it is a mixture of stereoisomers made in the lab, as opposed to the single 'd-' natural form derived from plant oils; the acetate form improves shelf stability.
Why it’s used
Taken to meet vitamin E requirements and support its role as an antioxidant, and historically explored for potential roles in heart and eye health.
What the evidence is for
preventing frank vitamin E deficiency.
What the evidence says
NIH ODS confirms vitamin E is an essential nutrient with an established role in preventing deficiency, which is rare and usually tied to fat-malabsorption conditions. Evidence for supplemental vitamin E preventing chronic disease in well-nourished people — such as heart disease or cancer — has not held up in large randomized trials, and some studies found no benefit or even a signal of harm at high doses. The dl- (synthetic) form is also generally considered less biologically active per milligram than the natural d- form.
Dose studied
15–1000 mg — adult RDA up to the tolerable upper intake level, per NIH ODS.
Context
NIH ODS lists the adult RDA as 15 mg of alpha-tocopherol per day, with a tolerable upper intake level of 1,000 mg per day from supplemental forms; large prevention trials have tested doses well above the RDA, generally without showing the hoped-for benefit.
Rumors
Synthetic dl-alpha tocopherol is less usable by the body than natural d-alpha vitamin E.
Supports — establishedhealth and safety evidence
Measured as a biomarker.
- Vitamin E. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Carotenoids (Regulatory) · Funding not checked
- Food Labeling: Revision of the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels (Regulatory) · Funded by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (government)
Who’s saying this
- Foodingredients.net — a retailer: bulk food ingredient supplier/sourcing from Chinese factories; branch of Fortway
How we know who this is
- “Foodingredients.net is a branch of Fortway.” (their page)
How much is a reference amount
- 15 mg a dayfor adults 19 and over · Recommended Dietary Allowance
Upper limit 1,000 mg a day, from supplements only — it does not apply to the same nutrient in food and only to alpha-tocopherol — not to gamma-tocopherol or the tocotrienols.
Both figures are alpha-tocopherol. The UL applies to supplemental alpha-tocopherol in any form, including the eight stereoisomers of the synthetic (dl-) material.
Every applicable line is shown because we don’t know which one is yours, and a reference intake is a target for a population, not a threshold for harm.