Vitamin E and Reduced Aspartate Aminotransferase Level

Research synthesisModerate evidenceSmall effect5 studies · 3 beneficial · 2 neutral · 0 harmful

Across 5 studies, 3 reported beneficial small-to-moderate effects of vitamin E on reducing aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, while 2 found neutral effects. The predominant effect size is small. Evidence primarily comes from patients with NAFLD/MASLD, with doses ranging from 300 to 1000 IU/day. Median study duration was 72 days, suggesting effects typically observed at 8–12 weeks.

Effective dose range: 300–1000 IU/day
Studied populations: patients with NAFLD/NASH/MASLD

Caveats: Many of the included studies did not reach statistical significance — effect may be smaller than the predominant direction suggests. Available evidence is overwhelmingly positive — clinical literature in this area is subject to publication bias (null-result studies are less likely to be published or indexed).

Generated Jun 11, 2026

Doses used in studies

IU/day: 298–1,000 (median 524.5, IQR 323.5–850) — 2 studies
mg/day: 300–800 (median 550, IQR 300–800) — 1 study

Time to effect

Median: 10.3 weeks · IQR 9.4 weeks–11.1 weeks · Range 8.6 weeks–2.8 months — Reported in 2 of 5 studies

Safety in these studies

all-cause mortalityNo significant differenceSerious adverse eventRR 3.45, 95% CI 0.57 to 20.86
The effects of vitamin E versus placebo or no intervention on all-cause mortality (risk ratio (RR) 3.45, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.57 to 20.86; 3 trials, 351 participants; very low certainty evidence) and serious adverse events (RR 1.91, 95% CI 0.30 to 12.01; 2 trials, 283 participants; very low certainty evidence) are very uncertain.
from: Vitamin E for people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
serious adverse eventsNo significant differenceSerious adverse eventRR 1.91, 95% CI 0.30 to 12.01
The effects of vitamin E versus placebo or no intervention on all-cause mortality (risk ratio (RR) 3.45, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.57 to 20.86; 3 trials, 351 participants; very low certainty evidence) and serious adverse events (RR 1.91, 95% CI 0.30 to 12.01; 2 trials, 283 participants; very low certainty evidence) are very uncertain.
from: Vitamin E for people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Overall tolerabilityReported
The effects of vitamin E versus placebo or no intervention on physical health-related quality of life ... and non-serious adverse events (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.64 to 1.17; 2 trials, 283 participants; very low certainty evidence) are also very uncertain.
from: Vitamin E for people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

5 of 5 papers

The Effect of Vitamin E Supplementation on Serum Aminotransferases in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
- 2023-08-25
- Meta-Analysis · n = 794
- Nutrients 15(17)
- - Stamatina Vogli
  - Androniki Naska
  - Georgios Marinos
  - Maria-Iosifina Kasdagli
  - Philippos Orfanos
- PubMed: 37686767
- DOI: 10.3390/nu15173733
2 Insights on
- Reduced Aspartate Aminotransferase Level
- High evidence
- Rigorous Journal
- Clinical
of lower precision in non-Asian studies [MD = -5.60 IU/L, 95% CI (-11.48, 0.28)]
Effect
Neutral
Effect size
Small
Significant
No
Dose
400 IU/day and above
Vitamin E for people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
- 2024-10-16
- Meta-Analysis · n = 708
- The Cochrane database of systematic reviews 2024(10)
- - Hongzhu Wen
  - Hongyong Deng
  - Lili Yang
  - Lujin Li
  - Jiang Lin
  - Peiyong Zheng
  - Milica Bjelakovic
  - Guang Ji
- PubMed: 39412049
- DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd015033.pub2
8 Insights on
- Reduced Aspartate Aminotransferase Level
- High evidence
- Clinical
Vitamin E likely slightly reduces serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (MD -4.90, 95% CI -7.24 to -2.57; 11 trials, 695 participants; moderate certainty evidence)
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Small
Significant
No
Dose
298 to 1000 IU/day
Vitamin E improves serum markers and histology in adults with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: Systematic review and meta-analysis.
- 2024-08-16
- Meta-Analysis
- Journal of gastroenterology and hepatology 39(12)
- - Nicholas Ming-Zher Chee
  - Ram Prasad Sinnanaidu
  - Wah-Kheong Chan
- PubMed: 39150005
- DOI: 10.1111/jgh.16723
7 Insights on
- Reduced Aspartate Aminotransferase Level
- High evidence
- Clinical
Vitamin E significantly reduced serum ALT and AST levels with SMD of -0.82 (95% CI, -1.13 to -0.51) and -0.68 (95% CI, -0.94 to -0.41), respectively.
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate
Significant
Yes
The effects of co-administration of artichoke leaf extract supplementation with metformin and vitamin E in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: A randomized clinical trial.
- 2021-09-17
- RCT
- Phytotherapy research : PTR 35(11)
- - Mohammad Bagher Majnooni
  - Mari Ataee
  - Gholamreza Bahrami
  - Fatemeh Heydarpour
  - Ina Yosifova Aneva
  - Mohammad Hosein Farzaei
  - Touraj Ahmadi-Juoibari
- PubMed: 34533249
- DOI: 10.1002/ptr.7279
4 Insights on
- Reduced Aspartate Aminotransferase Level
- High evidence
- Clinical
the rate of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) was significantly reduced within all the study groups (p < .05)
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Small
Significant
Yes
Efficacy and Safety of Vitamin E in Adults With Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
- 2025-07-29
- Review
- Cureus 17(7)
- - Helai Hussaini
  - Manpreet Kaur Dhanjal
  - Rahman Hameed Mohammed Abdul
  - Olaniyi Fadeyi
  - Najeeha A Bhatti
  - Mohammed Qasim Rauf
  - Calvin R Wei
  - Adil Amin
- PubMed: 40895855
- DOI: 10.7759/cureus.88949
4 Insights on
- Reduced Aspartate Aminotransferase Level
- Low evidence
- Clinical
aspartate aminotransferase levels (MD: -7.08; 95% CI: -14.93 to 0.76)
Effect
Neutral
Effect size
Small
Significant
No
Dose
300 to 800 mg daily

Vitamin E and Reduced Aspartate Aminotransferase Level

The Effect of Vitamin E Supplementation on Serum Aminotransferases in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Vitamin E for people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Vitamin E improves serum markers and histology in adults with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

The effects of co-administration of artichoke leaf extract supplementation with metformin and vitamin E in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: A randomized clinical trial.

Efficacy and Safety of Vitamin E in Adults With Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.