Support IslamQA

Please contribute generously in order to ensure the continuity of our website InshaAllah.

Ruling on taking tocopherol (vitamin E)

28-05-2022

Question 354281

What is the ruling on using products containing tocopherol or other things connected to vitamin E? In other words, is vitamin E an intoxicant that takes away one’s reasoning?

Answer

Praise be to Allah.

Firstly:

Tocopherol or vitamin E helps to prevent the oxidation (combining with oxygen) of many unsaturated fatty acids. Hence vitamin E plays an important role in maintaining cell membranes, which contain abundant amounts of unsaturated fatty acids. The best sources of vitamin E include lettuce and wheat germ oil. Meat, milk, eggs, liver, whole-grain foods, and most vegetables also contain this vitamin. Vitamin E deficiencies are rare and cause few symptoms." (Al-Mawsoo‘ah al-‘Arabiyyah al-‘Aalamiyyah)

Secondly:

There is nothing wrong with using products that contain tocopherol or vitamin E. It is not an intoxicant.

Thirdly:

Perhaps the questioner is referring to the substances referred to by E numbers that are found in some foods, which is something different from vitamin E. The substances referred to by E numbers are additives, of which there are more than 350. They are either preservatives, colourings, enhancers, sweeteners or other things.

There is nothing wrong with consuming them either, no matter what their type or method of manufacture, as we have explained in the answer to question no. 326337.

And Allah knows best.

Food & Nourishment
Show on Islam Q&A website.