Reference Nutrient Intake

Recommended dietary allowances (RDA) for vitamins are recommended intake of various vitamin to ensure the good health of a high proportion of the human population. The RDA values quoted below refer to the United States population (Whitney and Rolfes, 1996). Reference nutrient intake... 

RNI Reference Nutrient Intakes U.K., 1991 By parallel with clinical chemistry reference ranges, which encompass 95% of normal values to emphasize that they are not recommendations for individuals, nor are they amounts to be consumed daily see Table 1.5... 

Requirements and Reference Nutrient Intakes In the United States, the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) for zinc is 11 mg/day for men and 8 mg/day for women. Infants and young children need smaller amounts. Increased amounts are required during pregnancy and lactation. Strict vegetarians may need as much as 50% more zinc per day because of the increased phytic acid and fiber in their diet, ... 

There are numerous sources of niacin that are essential and these include poultry, fish (tuna, salmon), meat (beef), yeast, legumes, milk and fortified eereals. In addition, niacin is naturally occurring in tiny amounts and the human body can make nicotinic acid from the metabolism of dietary tryptophan (Vosper 2009). The body requires tryptophan for two main reasons (i) for the synthesis of niacin and (ii) to raise serotonin levels, which is essential for the regulation of sleep, appetite and mood. The vast majority of proteins contain about 1 % of tryptophan and it is suggested that approximately 100 g of protein intake a day will be sufficient to ensure optimum levels of niacin in the body. The recommended dose of niacin is higher when there is an increase in physiological states such as pregnancy and lactation. Importantly, the Committee of Medical Aspects of Food Policy (COMA) in the UK stated that the Reference Nutrient Intake (RNI) for niacin was 17 mg/day and 13 mg/day. 

The reference nutrient intake (RNI). This is 2 X sd above the observed mean requirement, and is therefore more than adequate to meet the individual requirements of 97.5% of the population. This is the goal for planning diets, e.g. in institutional feeding, and the standard against which the intake of a population can be assessed. In the European Union tables (Table 11.2) this is called the... 

Table 11.1 Reference nutrient intakes of vitamins and minerals, UK 1991... 

Lower reference nutrient intake (LRNI) An intake of a nutrient below which it is unlikely that physiological needs will be met or metabolic integrity be maintained. 

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