Table of Key Nutrients
Table of 20 key nutrients |
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Nutrient |
Adult RDA or AI* |
Common therapeutic range (daily intake) |
Dietary considerations concerning adequacy of average daily intake |
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Key minerals |
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Calcium |
1000–1200 mg |
800–1200 mg |
Typical diet is inadequate, averaging 500–850 mg. |
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Phosphorus |
1250 mg 9–18 yrs |
800–1200 mg |
Inadequate intake is rare except in elderly and malnourished. Excess intake common with use of processed foods and soft drinks — ~1500 mg/day in men and ~1025 mg/day in women. |
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Magnesium |
420 mg adult males |
400–800 mg |
Intake generally inadequate among all ages, sexes, and classes except children under the age of 5; 40% of total population and 50% of adolescents consume 66% of RDA; and 56% of all Americans have intakes below Estimated Average Requirement (EAR). |
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Chromium |
30–35 mcg, adult males |
200–1000 mcg |
Common intake in the US is 50 mcg or lower. |
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Silica |
No values set to date |
5-20 mg |
Intake significantly higher in men (30–33 mg/day) than in women (~25 mg/day), yet generally suboptimal. Silica is the first element to go in food processing. |
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Zinc |
11 mg adult males |
12–30 mg |
Average intake is 46–63% of RDA. Marginal zinc deficiency is common, especially among children. |
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Manganese |
2.3 mg (AI) adult males |
2–10 mg |
Intake generally inadequate, at 1.76 mg adolescent girls; 2.05 mg adult females; and 2.5 mg adult men. |
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Copper |
900 mcg adults |
1–3 mg |
75% of diets fail to contain RDA. Average daily intake is below the RDA. |
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Boron |
No RDA established |
3–5 mg |
Common daily intake is only 0.25 mg, to possible optimum of 3.0 mg. |
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Potassium |
4700 mg adults |
4000–6000 mg |
Adult intake averages 2300 mg for women and 3100 mg for men. |
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Strontium |
No RDA established |
3–30 mg (supplements) |
Daily dietary intake thought to vary from 1 mg to more than 10 mg. |
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Key vitamins |
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Vitamin D |
600 IU 1-70 yr |
800–2000 IU and up, as needed |
Numerous experts say that a billion people worldwide are deficient today. Deficiency is especially common among people who are elderly, dark skinned, and those with little UV sunlight exposure. A simple, inexpensive blood test for 25(OH)D is the best way to determine vitamin D status and need. |
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Vitamin C |
90 mg adult males |
Oral 500–3000 mg (and upward to bowel tolerance), as needed. |
Average daily intake is about 95 mg for women and 107 mg for men. Based on US survey of nearly 9000 people, intake for 31% of population is below Estimated Average Requirement (EAR). |
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Vitamin A |
2997 IU adult males |
5000 IU or less |
44% of US population has intake below EAR. |
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Vitamin B6 |
1.3–1.7 mg adult males |
25–50 mg |
Studies indicate widespread inadequate vitamin B6 consumption among all sectors of the population; >50% of population consume 70% RDA. |
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Folic acid/folate |
400 mcg adults |
400–1000 mcg |
Inadequate intake common among all age groups; although improving with food fortification, 49% of participants in NHANES survey had intakes below Estimated Average Requirement (EAR). |
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Vitamin B12 |
2.4 mcg adults |
150–1000 mcg |
Up to 40% of US population have marginal B12 status. Older people and vegans are especially at risk. |
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Vitamins K1 and K2 |
K1: |
K1: |
K1: |
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Other nutrients |
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Fats |
Should comprise minimum of 7% total calories. General recommendation is not to exceed 30% of caloric intake. |
20–30% of total calories is perhaps more ideal |
Average American consumes ~33% of his/her calories in fat. Consumption of essential fatty acids (EFA’s), however, is frequently inadequate. |
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Protein |
0.8 g/kg per day adult males and females |
1.0–1.5 g/kg |
Daily intake commonly exceeds 100 g, but the elderly and some women often have very deficient intake. Higher protein intake should be balanced with higher RDA level potassium intake from food sources. |