Vitamin E optimal range and reference range

Compiled by Alina Radu, founder of Sera, from the published sources below · Last reviewed November 9, 2026

Sera's bands for Vitamin E:

Optimal 6 – 12 mg/L (13.9 – 27.9 μmol/L); sufficient 5.5 – 17 mg/L (12.8 – 39.5 μmol/L); out of range below 5.5 or above 17 mg/L.

Evidence grade: Published reference interval. A band that primarily reflects a published adult laboratory or population reference interval. It is not necessarily applicable to every assay or laboratory.

All units

Unit	Optimal	Sufficient	Out of range
mg/L	6 – 12	5.5 – 17	below 5.5 or above 17
μmol/L	13.9 – 27.9	12.8 – 39.5	below 12.8 or above 39.5

What the evidence says

The acceptable band is the adult reference interval of Mayo Clinic Laboratories, 5.5 to 17.0 mg/L; Labcorp's upper limits are higher still and rise with age. The narrower optimal band of 6 to 12 mg/L is a functional target with no published support, and typical community levels sit above it, around 13 to 14 mg/L. Carried on lipoproteins, so the level tracks blood lipids rather than tissue adequacy — someone with high cholesterol can show adequate tocopherol while relatively depleted. Best read as a ratio to total cholesterol. Frank deficiency is rare outside fat malabsorption.

Sources

VITE - Vitamin E, Serum: Clinical & Interpretive — Mayo Clinic Laboratories, 2026 · Laboratory / reference-interval sourceAdult reference values 5.5 to 17.0 mg/L; levels below the interval suggest deficiency. Sera's sufficient band of 5 to 15 is close on the lower edge and 2 mg/L short on the upper.
Vitamin E (α and γ Tocopherol) — Labcorp, 2026 · Laboratory / reference-interval sourceAlpha-tocopherol intervals by age: 5.9 to 19.4 mg/L at 20 to 39 years, 7.0 to 25.1 at 40 to 59, 9.0 to 29.0 over 59. All upper limits are above Sera's 15 mg/L.
Vitamin E (α- and γ-Tocopherol) Levels in the Community: Distribution, Clinical and Biochemical Correlates, and Association with Dietary Patterns — Waniek S, di Giuseppe R, Esatbeyoglu T, et al. — Nutrients, 2017 · Peer-reviewed publicationIn 641 German adults the median plasma alpha-tocopherol was 31.54 μmol/L (13.6 mg/L) and 57.6% were above 30 μmol/L. More than half of a community sample therefore sits above Sera's optimal upper edge of 12 mg/L.

What Vitamin E (Alpha-Tocopherol) measures

The principal circulating form of vitamin E, the main fat-soluble antioxidant in cell membranes.

Carried on lipoproteins, so the level tracks blood lipids: someone with high cholesterol can show an adequate tocopherol while their tissues are relatively depleted, which is why it is best read as a ratio to total cholesterol or total lipids. Frank deficiency is rare outside fat malabsorption.

Related vitamins & minerals markers

See Vitamin E in the full list of biomarker ranges

This page is a reference for practitioners, not medical advice. Sera's bands are practitioner targets for structured review, not diagnostic thresholds, and Sera does not diagnose or recommend treatment. Read a result alongside the interval printed by the issuing laboratory and the client's history and symptoms. Range set: Sera Production, version 1.0, last reviewed November 9, 2026.