E-numbers / Antioxidants / E307
also: Synthetic alpha-tocopherol · Vitamin E (alpha form)
Man-made vitamin E, added to fats and oils to stop them going rancid. The health concern is high-dose supplements, not the amounts in food.
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Dried Red Chilli 22%, Soybean Oil, Shallots, Salt, Lemongrass, Garlic, Galangal, Coriander Seeds, Cumin, Kaffir Lime Leaves, Antioxidant (Alpha-Tocopherol)
At very high supplement doses, not food-additive levels, alpha-tocopherol can slow blood clotting, and several large randomised trials have linked it to more deaths overall.
184
of the 43,325 UK supermarket foods we checked declare E307 in their ingredients
That is 0.4%, counted by its code or its name.
Counted by NutraSafe from UK supermarket ingredient lists, September 2026. How we counted
Why it’s worth knowing. At very high supplement doses, not food-additive levels, alpha-tocopherol can slow blood clotting, and several large randomised trials have linked it to more deaths overall. The risk comes from high-dose supplements, not from food.
Alpha-tocopherol is the most active form of vitamin E. As an additive it is usually the man-made form (dl-alpha-tocopherol), which is slightly different in structure from the natural form in nuts, seeds and plant oils. It belongs to a family of antioxidants that dissolve in fat.
It stops fats going rancid by breaking the chain reaction that damages them, which helps food last and prevents off flavours. In the body it also protects cell walls from damage.
Mostly margarine, vegetable oils, infant formula, processed meats, dried milk, breakfast cereals and spreads. It is also widely used in supplements and baby food. Labels call it E307 or alpha-tocopherol.
In 2026 a NutriNet-Santé analysis of 108,723 French adults found alpha-tocopherol used as a preservative was one of 12 preservatives individually linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. These are observational studies: they show links, not proof that the additive causes the disease.
Among 108,723 French adults followed from 2009 to 2023, with 1,131 new cases of type 2 diabetes, alpha-tocopherol (E307) was one of 12 preservatives individually linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
Several large randomised trials, and a review of 19 trials covering about 136,000 people, found that taking high-dose vitamin E supplements, 400 IU a day or more, was linked to a small but real rise in deaths from all causes. That applies to supplements far above anything food additives provide. Vitamin E from food shows the opposite pattern, linked to fewer deaths.
A review of 19 randomised trials (135,967 people) found high-dose vitamin E supplements, at or above 400 IU a day, were linked to more deaths from all causes.
Higher blood vitamin E from food is linked to fewer deaths from all causes, the opposite of the supplement finding.
European reviewers in 2015 named slower blood clotting as the main harm from high doses. That matters for people on blood-thinning medicine. They found too little data to set a formal daily limit, though they did not consider the amounts from food additives a safety issue.
The main harm from high doses of alpha-tocopherol is slower blood clotting. Reviewers found too little data to set a numerical daily limit for the tocopherols.
The ATBC trial, a large Finnish study in men who smoked, gave them 50mg a day of man-made alpha-tocopherol. It found no protection against lung cancer and raised questions about more bleeding strokes. Men in the same study with higher vitamin E in their blood at the start had lower cancer death rates, which shows how hard it is to separate vitamin E from food from vitamin E pills.
Among 29,133 men who smoked, 50mg a day of alpha-tocopherol did not reduce lung cancer and was linked to a modest rise in bleeding strokes.
Daily limit. None set by European reviewers (2015). The international committee earlier set 0.15 to 2mg per kg of body weight a day for the man-made form.
People taking blood-thinning medicine such as warfarin should know that high-dose vitamin E supplements can raise bleeding risk. That applies to supplements, not the small amounts from food additives. Look for E307 or alpha-tocopherol if you are adding up vitamin E alongside supplements.
The research draws a sharp line between vitamin E from food and high-dose supplements. From food, additives included, alpha-tocopherol is linked to neutral or good outcomes. From supplements at 400 IU a day or more, the picture changes: a review covering about 136,000 people found a small but real rise in deaths.
Why is not fully understood, and the risky dose is far above anything food additives provide. European reviewers found too little data to set a clean daily limit, which is a gap in the data, not a finding of harm. The slower clotting at high doses is real and matters for people on blood thinners. At food levels this additive is not alarming, but it is not simple either, because the same molecule at much higher doses carries a recorded risk.
A large 2026 French study linked alpha-tocopherol used as a preservative to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, one observational finding that sits alongside the rest.
No. E307 is approved in the UK and allowed in foods including fats, oils, margarine and infant formula.
Yes. A review of 19 randomised trials covering about 136,000 people found that 400 IU or more of vitamin E a day from supplements was linked to a small but real rise in deaths from all causes. European reviewers also named slower blood clotting as the main harm from high doses. Food additive levels are far below the doses in those trials.
Mostly margarine, vegetable oil spreads, infant formula, processed meats, dried milk and some breakfast cereals. Labels call it E307 or alpha-tocopherol.
As an additive it is man-made and not from animals, so it suits vegans. Other ingredients or carriers in the product may not, so check the full list.
Last reviewed: 20 June 2026
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