Can I Take These?

Can You Take Vitamin C and Vitamin E Together?

A clinical trial that combined vitamin E and vitamin C in women with existing heart disease found no cardiovascular benefit and higher all-cause mortality than placebo, though vitamin C also plays a normal role in regenerating vitamin E in the body.

MonitorEvidence: Moderate

See the full Vitamin C page and Vitamin E page for other reviewed interactions and reference information.

What the interaction means

Vitamin C's own NIH ODS fact sheet states, in its Introduction, that vitamin C "has been shown to regenerate other antioxidants within the body, including alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E)" -- a normal, non-cautionary biochemical relationship. Separately, vitamin E's own NIH ODS fact sheet describes a specific randomized controlled trial, the Women's Angiographic Vitamin and Estrogen (WAVE) study, in which 423 postmenopausal women with coronary stenosis took 400 IU vitamin E plus 500 mg vitamin C twice a day, or placebo, for more than 4 years: "Not only did the supplements provide no cardiovascular benefits, but all-cause mortality was significantly higher in the women taking the supplements."

Why it may happen

Vitamin C's fact sheet does not elaborate beyond stating vitamin C helps regenerate oxidized vitamin E. For the WAVE trial's mortality finding, vitamin E's fact sheet reports the result without describing a mechanism for why combined supplementation was associated with higher mortality in this trial.

Practical context

This is a single trial in a specific, higher-risk population -- postmenopausal women with pre-existing coronary artery disease -- and its mortality finding is not uniformly replicated elsewhere on the same fact sheet: a 2006 meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found that antioxidant supplements (vitamins C and E, plus beta-carotene or selenium) "do not affect the progression of atherosclerosis," and the Physicians' Health Study II found that 500 mg/day vitamin C plus 400 IU vitamin E every other day for a mean of 8 years "failed to reduce the risk of prostate or total cancer compared with placebo," with no mortality signal reported in that trial. Given the WAVE study's finding, people with existing cardiovascular disease who are considering combined high-dose vitamin C and vitamin E supplementation may want to discuss it with their cardiologist; this is not established as a concern for typical multivitamin-level intakes or for people without heart disease.

What the sources say

Vitamin C — Health Professional Fact Sheet — NIH Office of Dietary SupplementsVitamin E - Health Professional Fact Sheet — NIH Office of Dietary Supplements

Last reviewed 2026-08-24

Medical information disclaimer: this information is general and educational. It does not diagnose conditions, prescribe treatment, or determine whether a combination is safe for you personally. Follow your prescription label and ask a pharmacist or clinician before starting, stopping, or combining products. Full disclaimer.

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