VITAMINS AND MINERALS

The term 'Recommended' Daily Amount (RDA) gave rise to the notion that this quantity was the minimum desirable amount. Both the RDA and the effectual replacement, the Reference Nutrient Intake (RNI), are an amount that is sufficient for the few people in the population with very high requirements. The RNI is an amount, therefore, that is greatly in excess of the needs of the vast majority of the population. This is also applicable to protein. The LRNI (Lower Reference Nutrient Intake) is the exact opposite to the RNI. It is an amount that is sufficient for only the few people in the population who have very low requirements. Therefore if your intake of a vitamin or a mineral is at or above the RNI, then it is almost certainly sufficient. Conversely, if your intake is below the LRNI, then it is almost certainly insufficient. NOTE - the graphs for the vitamins and minerals are broken into four types. The first shows the vitamins and minerals where RNIs, EARs and LRNIs were possible to set. The second, where RNIs and LRNIs were possible, the third, where only RNIs were possible. The fourth graph represents the Safe Intakes. Where the Safe Intake has a range, the graph represents the smallest quantity of the range. Do not attempt to draw an imaginary line down from the top graph and assume that you are above the LRNI or EAR for those vitamins and minerals where none were set. This would be totally incorrect.