Insight into your vitamin E level.
Vitamin E is the collective name for a group of fat-soluble compounds, of which alpha-tocopherol is the most important. These compounds protect cell membranes against oxidative damage. A measurement gives insight into the amount of vitamin E in your blood.
Also known as: Alpha-tocopherol, Tocopherol
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By the Bloodworks editorial team
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Background
What is vitamin E?
Vitamin E is the collective name for a group of fat-soluble compounds, the tocopherols and tocotrienols. Alpha-tocopherol is the form that matters most to the body, and it is also the form measured in the blood. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant. It protects the fats in cell membranes against oxidative damage. You obtain vitamin E from vegetable oils, nuts and seeds, margarine and low-fat spreads, and vegetables such as spinach and broccoli.
Because vitamin E is fat-soluble, it travels through the blood together with the fat particles. The measured value therefore depends in part on the amount of fats in your blood. With high or low blood lipids the vitamin E level can shift along with them, even when your supply has not changed. That is why the result is best interpreted alongside a lipid profile. The laboratory states the reference values that apply there with your result, and those are leading. Our doctor interprets the result in your context.
In brief
Alpha-tocopherol
The form measured in the blood
Antioxidant
Protects the fats in cell membranes against oxidative damage
Fat-soluble
Absorption goes hand in hand with the fats in your food
Linked to blood lipids
The result is therefore read alongside a lipid profile
Common reasons to test
When can insight into your Vitamin E be valuable?
Below are some situations in which measuring Vitamin E can provide insight.
Insight into your status
A test gives a snapshot of your vitamin E level in the blood.
Before you start supplementing
Measuring before you begin shows where you stand right now, so you know whether topping up adds anything in your situation.
If you already take supplements
Vitamin E is fat-soluble. A supplement can still affect the value even when taken well before the blood draw. A measurement shows where you end up.
With reduced fat absorption
Fat-soluble vitamins are absorbed less well in bowel conditions, in disorders of the pancreas or bile ducts, and after bariatric surgery.
With long-standing digestive complaints
Persistent complaints with fatty stools or unintended weight loss can point to impaired fat absorption. The level can then form part of a broader picture.
Alongside your blood lipids
The vitamin E level is tied to the amount of fats in your blood. A lipid profile from the same blood draw makes the interpretation more precise.
On a strongly restricted diet
If you barely use vegetable oils, nuts and seeds, or follow a very low-fat diet, a measurement gives you something to go on.
What your result means
How do we read your Vitamin E level?
Vitamin E is measured as alpha-tocopherol in micromoles per litre (µmol/L). The laboratory states the reference values that apply there with your result, and those are leading. Because vitamin E travels with the fat particles in the blood, the value is best read together with a lipid profile.
A low value
A low vitamin E level is uncommon in the Netherlands. Where a genuine deficiency does occur, it is almost always linked to impaired absorption of fats, for example in certain bowel conditions, in disorders of the pancreas or bile ducts, or after bariatric surgery. Low blood lipids can also pull the measured value down without any deficiency being present. Our doctor looks at the whole picture rather than this number alone.
A normal value
A vitamin E level within the laboratory's reference values gives a reassuring picture for this marker. It remains a snapshot, and the value moves along with the fats in your blood. A single measurement is not a diagnosis.
An elevated value
An elevated vitamin E level usually comes from supplements, and sometimes from raised fats in your blood. Vitamin E is fat-soluble, so an excess is not quickly excreted. Our doctor explains your value and discusses with you whether adjusting your supplement use is sensible. Do not stop prescribed medication on your own.
How we interpret your result
Our doctors assess your vitamin E level against the laboratory's reference values and your personal context, your supplement use, diet, medical history and any complaints.
Related tests
Often combined with Vitamin E.
A single marker gives one perspective. For a broader picture you can combine Vitamin E with a theme package or related markers.
+ €29 blood draw fee per orderFree from €225
Frequently asked questions
Everything you want to know
Do I need to fast for a vitamin E test?
No, you do not need to fast for a vitamin E measurement. A blood draw in the morning gives the most comparable result. If you combine the test with glucose or a cholesterol profile, for example, the fasting instructions do apply to those tests.
What is alpha-tocopherol?
Vitamin E is a collective name for a group of fat-soluble compounds. Alpha-tocopherol is the form that matters most to the body, and it is the form the laboratory measures in your blood. On your result you will therefore often see vitamin E listed as alpha-tocopherol.
Why is vitamin E read together with my blood lipids?
Vitamin E travels through the blood with the fat particles. If those fats are high or low, the measured vitamin E level shifts with them, even when your supply has not changed. A lipid profile from the same blood draw helps our doctor place the result properly.
Is vitamin E deficiency common in the Netherlands?
No, deficiency is rare here. Vitamin E is plentiful in an ordinary diet. Where a deficiency does occur, it almost always involves people whose absorption of fats is impaired, for example through a bowel condition, a disorder of the pancreas or bile ducts, or after bariatric surgery.
Should I stop my supplement before the test?
Discuss that with the doctor who knows your situation. Vitamin E is fat-soluble, so a supplement can still affect the value even when taken well before the blood draw. If you want to know where your current use leaves you, keep that use unchanged. Never stop prescribed medication on your own.
Which foods contain vitamin E?
Mainly vegetable oils such as sunflower oil and wheat germ oil, nuts and seeds, margarine and low-fat spreads, and vegetables such as spinach and broccoli. Because these products are common in an ordinary diet, intake is ample for most people.
Can I get too much vitamin E?
From ordinary food that is unlikely. High-dose supplements are a different matter, certainly with prolonged use or alongside blood-thinning medication. If you use such products, discuss this with your doctor or pharmacist. A measurement shows where your level sits.
What do I do with my result?
You receive a report with your value and a personal explanation from our doctor. What you do with it, such as discussing it with your GP or reconsidering your supplement use, remains your own choice. If you have symptoms, your GP remains the right starting point, because an assessment involves more than blood alone.
Ready for insight into your vitamin E level?
You receive your vitamin E level including a personal explanation from a doctor, usually within 2 working days. No referral required.
Order Vitamin E →Want to test multiple markers at once?
Combine Vitamin E with other markers via Bloodworks Select. The blood draw and collection fee is charged once per order, and is waived from €225.
75,-
+ €29 blood draw fee+ €29 blood draw fee per order