Skip to main content
Evidence-Based Supplement Research
Evidence-Based Supplement Research
Pillser
Search
Sign UpLog In

Vitamin E and Reduced Aspartate Aminotransferase Level

Research synthesisModerate evidenceSmall effect4 studies · 3 beneficial · 1 neutral · 0 harmful

Across 4 studies on vitamin E for reducing aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, 3 reported beneficial effects (predominantly small in magnitude) and 1 was neutral. Two of the 4 findings were statistically significant. The evidence comes almost entirely from clinical populations with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or related steatotic liver conditions, with a median study duration of 72 days (approximately 10 weeks), suggesting effects typically observed at 8-12 weeks. Doses ranged from 298 to 1000 IU/day, though not all studies specified dose.

  • Effective dose range: 298 to 1000 IU/day
  • Studied populations: people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH/NASH)

Caveats: Evidence base is small (only 4 studies) — conclusions should be considered preliminary. Two of the 4 studies were meta-analyses contributing the highest-quality evidence, but the most recent review (2025) reported a neutral effect (non-significant), tempering the overall positive signal. All evidence comes from clinical populations with liver conditions — benefit in healthy individuals or other populations is unstudied.

Generated May 18, 2026
Doses used in studies
  • IU/day: 298–1,000 (median 649, IQR 298–1,000) — 1 study
  • 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 4 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.
4 of 4 papers
Back to top