NutriStack
CLA and Vitamin E, a synergy.
CLA can increase lipid peroxidation and oxidative-stress markers, which raises the body's vitamin E (antioxidant) requirement. Pairing CLA with vitamin E is a protective, complementary combination: the vitamin E helps counter CLA-driven oxidation, and because both are fat-soluble they are absorbed efficiently when taken together with food containing fat. This is a favorable pairing rather than a risk, with the main caveat being to keep vitamin E at sensible doses.
One pair, every claim cited. The two substances, the type, the mechanism, the recommendation, and the primary literature.
Same shape as the other 1,729 pairs in the public database.
From the interaction database
What the row says.
Every entry follows the same shape: what is happening, the mechanism, the recommendation, and the primary literature.
At a glance
- Pair type
- Synergy
- Evidence (highest tier)
- Emerging
- Source citations
- 4 sources
- Stack Score effect
- +2 to your Stack Score (per scored synergy row).
- Scope
- Supplement × Supplement
- Last verified
- May 30, 2026
Synergy · Emerging evidence
Synergy
What is happening. CLA can increase lipid peroxidation and oxidative-stress markers, which raises the body's vitamin E (antioxidant) requirement. Pairing CLA with vitamin E is a protective, complementary combination: the vitamin E helps counter CLA-driven oxidation, and because both are fat-soluble they are absorbed efficiently when taken together with food containing fat. This is a favorable pairing rather than a risk, with the main caveat being to keep vitamin E at sensible doses.
Mechanism. Two converging mechanisms. (1) Antioxidant protection: CLA is a polyunsaturated fatty acid mixture prone to lipid peroxidation, and the t10,c12 isomer has been shown in humans to raise oxidative-stress and lipid-peroxidation markers; vitamin E (a fat-soluble chain-breaking antioxidant) helps protect CLA and tissue lipids from this oxidation, and adequate vitamin E status offsets the increased antioxidant demand CLA can create. (2) Shared absorption route: both are fat-soluble and absorbed together in dietary-fat micelles, so co-ingestion with a fat-containing meal supports uptake of both.
Recommendation. Take CLA and vitamin E together with a fat-containing meal for best absorption of both. A standard vitamin E intake (roughly 15 mg or 22 IU natural d-alpha-tocopherol, up to about 100 to 200 IU) is reasonable alongside CLA and may help offset CLA-related oxidative stress. Avoid very high-dose vitamin E (above roughly 400 IU long-term), which carries its own risks, and do not assume vitamin E fully neutralizes the metabolic concerns of the t10,c12 CLA isomer.
Minimum separation. None; best taken together with a fat-containing meal
Sources (4)
- Riserus U et al., Supplementation with conjugated linoleic acid causes isomer-dependent oxidative stress and elevated C-reactive protein, Circulation, 2002
- Basu S et al., Conjugated linoleic acid induces lipid peroxidation in humans, FEBS Letters, 2000
- Traber MG, Vitamin E regulatory mechanisms and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, Annual Review of Nutrition, 2007
- Pharmacology reviews of fat-soluble nutrient micellar absorption and PUFA antioxidant requirements
Stack Score
How this pair moves the number.
Effect on the composite score
If both CLA and Vitamin E are in the same stack, this pair applies +2 to your Stack Score (per scored synergy row).
The full algorithm, the clamping rules, and four worked stacks are documented at /methodology/stack-score.
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