Vitamins and Minerals

Daily Recommended Vitamins and Minerals

If you've ever looked at the back of any food label, you get these nice little charts that break down what's in it from a vitamin and mineral standpoint and the percentage of daily values. But then I've always found it a little hard to calculate on the fly like that. I've always been much more interested in what my body needs on a daily basis to function optimally. Perhaps you feel the same way? I gathered this information as I found it useful to know. Using this as a relative starting point, should greatly assist you in planning your meals throughout the day to cater to your daily recommended needed intake. A big note here: Everyone is different, and some of us have particular allergies or needs. This is not meant to be a medical diagnosis or recommendation, but rather, gathered research for informational purposes only.

VitaminsRecommended daily intakeWhere FoundOver dosage (mg or µg/d)
Biotin (B-complex)30 µgBiotin in food and asa supplementNo information found
Folate (B-complex)400 µgFolate in food and asa supplementDoses larger than 400 µg may cause anaemia and may mask symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency
Vitamin A600 µgVitamin A in food and asa supplementExtremely high doses (>9000 mg) can cause dry, scaly skin, fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, bone and joint pains and headaches
Vitamin B1 (thiamin)1,4 mgVitamin B1 in food and asa supplementNo toxic effects resulting from high doses have been observed
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)1,6 mgVitamin B2 in food and asa supplementDoses higher than 200 mg may cause urine colour alteration
Vitamin B3 (niacin)18 mgVitamin B3 in food and asa supplementDoses larger than 150 mg may cause problems ranging from facial flushing to liver disease
Vitamin B5 (patothenic acid)6 mgVitamin B5 in food and asa supplementDose should not exceed 1200 mg; this may cause nausea and heartburn
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)2 mgVitamin B6 in food and asa supplementDoses larger than 100 mg may cause numbness and tingling in hands and feet
Vitamin B12 (cobalamine)6 µgVitamin B12 in food and asa supplementDoses larger than 3000 µg may cause eye conditions
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)75 mgVitamin C in food and asa supplementNo impacts of over dose have been proven so far
Vitamin D (cholecalciferol)5 µgVitamin D in food and asa supplementLarge doses (>50 µg) obtained form food can cause eating problems and ultimately disorientation, coma and death
Vitamin E (tocopherol)10 mgVitamin E in food and asa supplementDoses larger than 1000 mg cause blood clotting, which results in increased likelihood of haemorrhage in some individuals
Vitamin K80 µgVitamin K in food and asa supplementLarge doses of one form of vitamin K (menadione or K3) may result in liver damage or anaemia
MineralsRecommended daily intakeOver dosage
Boron< 20 mgNo information found
Calcium1000 mgDoses larger than 1500 mg may cause stomach problems for sensitive individuals
Chlorine(in chloride form)3400 mgNo information found
Chromium120 µgDoses larger than 200 µg are toxic and may cause concentration problems and fainting
Copper2 mgAs little as 10mg of copper can have a toxic effect
Fluorine3,5 mgNo information found
Iodine150 µgNo information found
Iron15 mgDoses larger than 20 mg may cause stomach upset, constipation and blackened stools
Magnesium350 mgDoses larger than 400 mg may cause stomach problems and diarrhea
Manganese5 mgExcess manganese may hinder iron adsorption
Molybdenum75 µgDoses larger than 200 µg may cause kidney problems and copper deficiencies
Nickel< 1 mgProducts containing nickel may cause skin rash in case of allergies
Phosphorus1000 mgContradiction: the FDA states that doses larger than 250 mg may cause stomach problems for sensitive individuals
Potassium3500 mgLarge doses may cause stomach upsets, intestinal problems or heart rhythm disorder
Selenium35 µgDoses larger than 200 µg can be toxic
Sodium2400 mgNo information found
Vanadium< 1,8 mgNo information found
Zinc15 mgDoses larger than 25 mg may cause anaemia and copper deficiency

NOTES:

– The above-stated values are not meant for diagnosis, these are mainly reference values for informational purposes.

– Most of these values are based on a 2000 calorie intake for people of 4 or more years of age. This reference is

applied because it approximates the caloric requirements for postmenopausal women. This group has the highest

risk for excessive intake of calories and fat.

– Values on labels are stated Daily Reference values (DRV) of Recommended Daily Intake (RDI). The RDI is a

renewed value referring to the old Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). All values in this table are new RDI values.

– Maximum values are based on Food and Drug Administration (FDA) values, the World Health Organization (WHO),

BBC Health values, the European Union Directive (based on FDA values) and values from various other governmental

and private agencies in the USA and the UK.

– Values from the World Health Organization (WHO) may be somewhat lower than those of the FDA for various vitamins

and minerals. Examples of differences (WHO values to FDA values): Mg: -60 mg, Vitamin B6: -0,5 mg, Vitamin B12: -4 µg,

vitamin C: -15 mg, Vitamin K: -35 mg, folate: -220 µg.

– Elements that have a recommended daily intake within µg range are sometimes referred to as trace elements (e.g. copper,

chromium, selenium).