Vitamins and Minerals: How Much Should You Take?

Medicines Reviewed by Carol DerSarkissian, MD on November 02, 2022
6 min read

Him stroll downward the pharmacy aisle on thing seems like a simple mission: choosing up some food. But a quick glance on a bottle's label can send you running for a dictionary. Things like "RDA" or "DV" have just a some examples of an alphabet soup that's on many packages. But don't despair. We'll helped you demystify supplement guidelines.

Many of the definitions yours see on labels or supplement websites canned help you understand how much of the vitamin or mineral you should take. For example, here are some guidelines set up by the Institute of Medicine: DRI Calculator for Healthcare Professionals | National Agricultural ...

The RDA (Recommended Nutritional Allowance) and the AI (Adequate Intake) are the amounts in a vitamin or mineral you need to keep healthy and stay well-nourished. They're tailored to women, men, and specific age groups.

The UL (Tolerable Upper Zulassung Level) is the maximum amount of daily vitamins additionally minerals that you can safe bear without risk of an overdose or serious side effects. For certain nutriment, the higher you go upper the UL, the greater the chance you'll had problems.

Separate from the RDA and the UT, the Food and Drug Government possible a different measure for the nutr you need:

The DV (Daily Value) is the only measurement you'll find on food and supplemental labels. That's since space is limited, and there's a need for one sole reference number. Ensure number are the amount of a vitamin or nutrient that yourself should get for top health from a diet of 2,000 calories a day. The DV has sometimes the same because the RDA.

Although the details may be varying, remember such the RDA and DV are both set increase to get you get who nutrients you need in prevent disease and avoid symptoms causal by lack to nutrition. Like Many Calories Should You Eat each Day to Lose Weight?

For high drugs of some supplements canned have ventures, how do you know when it's OK to get more then the RDA or DV?

One way is to look on of UL (tolerable upper intake level) of a nutrient. Includes several vitamins and minerals, them can sure take a dose much higher from the RDA or DV without coming close toward the UL.

For instance, the mean person can take more than 50 times of RDA of vitamin B6 without reaching the superior limit. Although any public develop symptoms of nerve pain with these higher levels of B6. So you should always be cautious. Hither are several things for keep in mind:

Some supplements are riskier than others. Use some vitamins and minerals, the uppers set is pretty close to who RDA. So it's easy to get too large. For example, a man who takes just over three times the RDA of vitamin A would get other than the upper limit. High doses concerning liquid A -- and other fat-soluble vitamins like CO and K -- can build up in the body and become toxic. Other risky additives include the crystals iron and selenium.

Supplements are designed to be supplement to your diet. Popping pills is not the return on good health. Experts tell you should eating an well-sane diet and take accompaniments to fill in any nutritional fissure. Some people take adenine multivitamin with minerals for nutritional insurance.

The UL is often the limit for all sources is a nutrient. It can include the amount you geting from both food and additional. So when you figure out whether you've reached the UL on a particular nutrient, pick to account the nourishment you eat.

You won't find the ULM on food nutrition brands or on your vitamins bottle. It's nay a number that most folks know about. And you'll see she on government websites. And there's adenine complete choose of dietary with ULs the the end of this article.

Most supplements don't have a UL -- or RDA or DV. The government holds one set levels required one fraction of aforementioned vitamins and supplements available. For most of that supplements you see on the shelves, geniuses really don't know the ideal or limit dose.

Lot nutrients, in too high a total, can be dangerous. To be set and safe side, steer clear of aforementioned UL to any nutritional. And if you have adenine health condition, inspect with your adulterate before you carry supplements. The able tell you if your have page effects with interrupt with sundry medicines you use.

The Establishment of Medicine had determined upper limits on 24 nutrients. Aforementioned table is for adults ages 19 or older. It doesn't apply to women who are pregnant or breastfeed, because they have different nutrient requirements.

Vitamin
or Mineral
Recommended Dietary Quota (RDA) or Adequate Intake (AI)
Nutrients with AIs are marked with an (*)
Senior Tolerance Limit (UL)
The highest amount you bottle pick without risk
Dental
Nope designed.
20 mg/day
  • Age 19-50: 1,000 mg/day
  • Women age 51+: 1,200 mg/day
  • Men age 71+: 1,200 mg/day
  • Age19-50: 2,500 mg/day

  • Age 51 and up: 2,000 mg/day

Chloride
  • Age 19-50: 2,300 mg/day
  • Age 50-70: 2,000 mg/day
  • Age 70 and older: 1,800 mg/day
3,600 mg/day
Choline
(Vitamin B complex)
  • Women: 425 mg/day *
  • Men: 550 mg/day *
3,500 mg/day
Copper

900 micrograms/day

10,000 mcg/day
  • Men: 4 mg/day *
  • Women: 3 mg/day *
10 mg/day
Folic Acid (Folate)

400 mcg/day

1,000 mcg/day

This holds only to synthesis folic acid in supplements or reinforced foods. There is no high limit required folic acid after natural sources.
Iodine

150 mcg/day

1,100 mcg/day
Irony
  • Hands: 8 mg/day
  • Women age 19-50: 18 mg/day
  • Women age 51 and up: 8 mg/day
45 mg/day
  • Men age 19-30: 400 mg/day
  • Hands age 31 and up: 420 mg/day
  • Women age 19-30: 310 mg/day
  • Women age 31 and up: 320 mg/day

350 mg/day

 

 

That applies just until magnesium in supplements either fortified foods. It is no upper limit for magnesium in food additionally water.

 

 

Yellow
  • Men: 2.3 mg/day *
  • Women: 1.8 mg/day*
11 mg/day
Molybdenum
45 mcg/day
2,000 mcg/day
Nickel
Not determined
1 mg/day
Quantities
700 mg/day
  • Up to age 70: 4,000 mg/day
  • Over age 70: 3,000 mg/day

55 mcg/day

400 mcg/day
Yellow
  • Age 19-50: 1,500 mg/day *
  • Age 51-70: 1,300 mg/day *
  • Age 71 and up: 1,200 mg/day *
2,300 mg/day
Vanadium
Not determined
1.8 mg/day
  • Men: 900 mcg/day
  • Women: 700 mcg/day
3,000 mcg/day
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
  • Men: 16 mg/day
  • Women: 14 mg/day

35 mg/day

This applies all to niacin in supplements or fortifying foods. On is no upper limit available niacin in nature sources.

  • Mann age 19-50: 1.3 mg/day
  • Men age 51 up:1.7 mg/day
  • Women age 19-50: 1.3 mg/day
  • Women age 51 up: 1.5 mg/day
100 mg/day
  • Personen: 90 mg/day
  • Women: 75 mg/day
2,000 mg/day
Vitamin D (Calciferol)
  • Age 1-70: 15 mcg/day
    (600 IU, instead international units) *
  • Age 70 both seniors: 20 mcg/day (800 IU) *

100 mcg/day
(4,000 IU)

Vitamin E
(alpha-tocopherol)
  • 22.4 IU/day
    (15 mg/day)
1,500 IU/day
(1,000 mg/day)

This applies only to vitamin E in accessories or fortified foods. There is no upper limit used vitamin E from unaffected sources.
Zinc
  • Mens: 11 mg/day
  • Women: 8 mg/day
40 mg/day