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Base foodLow concern
Dietary Fat
In plain words
The short version
Fat-soluble vitamins are absorbed more efficiently when there is fat in the same meal.
Why it's green
It's widely considered safe at the amounts used in food, so we mark it green. The Safety section below has the details.
Safety profile
Vitamins A, D, E and K, and carotenoids like beta-carotene and lycopene, are absorbed more efficiently when fat is present in the same meal. A fat-free salad of leaves and tomato delivers a fraction of the carotenoids that the same salad with oil does.
The detail
Any culinary fat — oil, butter, cream — in the amounts a normal dish uses.
A useful pairing rather than a warning, and one of the few interactions here that argues for adding something rather than separating it.
Sources
- EFSA NDA Panel — Scientific opinion on the tolerable upper intake level for vitamin D, including the derivation of a conversion factor for calcidiol monohydrate (EFSA Journal 2023;21(8):e08145) — European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), 2023. fat makes vitamin D absorption more efficient (not a strict requirement)
- EFSA NDA Panel — Scientific opinion on the tolerable upper intake level for preformed vitamin A and β-carotene (EFSA Journal 2024;22:e8814) — European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), 2024. beta-carotene absorption depends on micelles formed with dietary fatty acids and bile
- EFSA NDA Panel — Dietary reference values for vitamin K (EFSA Journal 2017;15(5):4780) — European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), 2017. vitamin K is absorbed together with dietary fat
Checked against these sources on .
Educational information only. Not medical, dietary or veterinary advice. Spotted an error? Tell us.