Should I Take Vitamin E At Night?

Tip

You can take vitamin E capsules any time of day as long as you take them with a source of fat.

Preventing Vitamin E Deficiency

Making sure to take your vitamin E supplement with a little fat helps you reap the potential benefits of getting enough of this nutrient in your diet. This is especially true if your doctor has recommended a supplement because of a deficiency. Although vitamin E deficiency is rare in healthy people, it can occur in some circumstances, reports the National Institutes of Health.

  • Peripheral neuropathy, causing weakness, numbness and pain in the hands and feet.
  • Ataxia, a lack of muscle control that can affect voluntary movements such as walking, speech, eye movement and swallowing.
  • Skeletal myopathy, a disorder of the skeletal muscles that leads to muscle weakness and dysfunction. Sometimes it may affect cardiac muscle fibers.
  • Retinopathy, a condition that causes damage to the retina of the eye and can lead to partial or full blindness.
  • Immune system impairment.

Vitamin E Benefits

People without a condition affecting absorption typically can get all the vitamin E they need from a healthy diet including nuts, seeds and vegetable oils, which are the richest food sources of the nutrient. Other sources include leafy, green vegetables and fortified cereals.

Meeting these recommended amounts through food and supplements may play a role in preventing and treating four common diseases affecting human health: heart disease, cancer, eye disorders and cognitive decline. However, according to the NIH, there is only preliminary evidence of vitamin E benefits in these conditions, and much more research is needed. At this time the consensus is that the general population does not need to supplement with vitamin E.

Following Dosage Instructions

If your doctor has instructed you to take a vitamin E supplement, it's important to follow dosage instructions. While getting enough vitamin E is beneficial, too much can be harmful. Fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin E, have more of a potential for negative health effects when taken in high doses, because excess amounts can build up in the body. This is not a risk with the water-soluble B vitamins and vitamin C.

If you are vigilant and always take your supplement with a meal containing fat, you should assume you are absorbing the full amount of vitamin E in the supplement. High doses of vitamin E may increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke, according to the NIH. Therefore, the Food and Nutrition Board has established a tolerable upper intake level (UL) for the nutrient. The UL is the maximum amount of the nutrient that is safe for long-term use in the general population.

The UL for vitamin E for men, women, pregnant women and lactating women is 1,000 mg daily. This is 67 times the RDI, which would seemingly make it difficult to exceed; however, it's not as hard as it seems. Some supplements may provide an amount equivalent to the daily UL in one serving.

According to the Mayo Clinic, there some potential side effects of vitamin E supplements, and taking too much can increase the risk of experiencing:

  • Nausea
  • Diarrhea
  • Intestinal cramps
  • Fatigue
  • Weakness
  • Headache
  • Blurred vision
    • Rash
  • Gonadal dysfunction
  • High levels of creatine in the urine

Thinking that more is better to fully take advantage of vitamin E benefits could significantly increase your risk of adverse effects, if you take more than one dose daily.

Read more: The 14 Best Foods for Your Heart

Timing Vitamin E Intake

This is why it's important to always consult with your doctor before taking vitamin E capsules — or any supplement. Your doctor can also advise you on the best time to take vitamin E, morning or night, and how much fat you need to eat at the same time for optimal absorption.

Many people find that taking supplements in the morning helps them avoid forgetting to take them later in the day. If you decide to take vitamin E in the evening, you can take it with dinner. A source of healthy fats such as olive oil or avocado on a salad or with steamed vegetables can aid absorption, as can the healthy fats in fish.

Read more on: vitamin