Talk:Reference Daily Intake

Merge with daily values?
You can merge with Daily Values if you like -- SO LONG as searching by RDI still brings up this page. Daily Values sounds like some British thing and Merkins ain't gonna know to look there.


 * Yeah, they should be merged. AEuSoes1 05:20, 8 September 2006 (UTC)


 * DVs are for labelling. For some nutrients, the DV is the RDA (treat is as a minimum). For other nutrients, the DV is the UL (treat it as a maximum). I think we could merge the pages as long as we make that clear. 142.119.100.34 (talk) 23:45, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

I agree that the Daily Values article (more of a snippet, really!) should be subsumed within the Reference Daily Intake article. [Another reader]

Add a list of values
I'm currently working on a template box with nutritional information: template:nutritionalvalue. I'm considering to add a link to this page with a more extensive list of RDA values (including age groups etc.), and maybe also the equivalents for different countries. Would this be appropriate? Are there for example copyright issues if you reproduce all the data from the official list? Han-Kwang 21:02, 24 June 2006 (UTC)

Completely meaningless
RDI/RDV is meaningless, because there are so many variables that determine what a persons intake should be, such as their gender, weight, age, activity levels, etc. that there is no possible way to determine what an average daily intake should be.Davez621 13:59, 2 September 2006 (UTC)


 * The FDA tables give different values depending on age group and sex. If you look up the numbers, you will see that generally 25-year-old men have the highest need, and that usually these values are taken as a "Daily value" on nutritional labeling. Wikipedia is not a place for primary research, but if you can provide a reference that supports your concern, it could be mentioned in the article. Han-Kwang 00:13, 3 September 2006 (UTC)

Funny Data
We have Chloride, Fluoride, and Iodine. Why isn't it Iodide for consistency sake? Fluoride has an upper tolerance of 10mg, while Iodine has an Upper Tolerance of 1.1mg. This implies it is safer to take 10mg of Fluoride than 10mg of Iodine. Fluoride is a neurotoxin, that your body can't really use properly. Potassium Iodide on the other hand has been taken in the gram range(1000x the upper limit) for long periods of time without side-effects.

Where is Sulfur on the list? Are there no Onion or Garlic lovers out there? Average Daily Intake is 2-4 grams; It's essential for the immune system. Not listed on RDI.

Potassium is kind of interesting at 4700mg, as it is the largest requirement. I don't think anybody hits that(0.3% of Americans), and certainly not on a regular basis. 12 bananas per day? It's probably more important than people realize. A multi-vitamin is not going to help anyone reach this(Centrum has 80mg- 2%). — Preceding unsigned comment added by 198.91.42.169 (talk) 14:59, 19 July 2019 (UTC)


 * The RDI for sulfur is implied by the RDI for amino acids methionine + cysteine (which contain sulfur). Onion & garlic sulfur compounds have additional benefits due to their antioxidant properties, but I don't think any recommended intake has been established.
 * The 4700mg potassium recommendation is in the context of Americans who eat too much sodium. If you stick to the recommended range of sodium (1500mg - 2300mg), then from what I understand, you'll be fine with just 3500mg potassium. 142.119.100.34 (talk) 23:57, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

Are current dietary guidelines for sodium and potassium reasonable? https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150407171619.htm


 * More generally, upper tolerance and assimilation efficiency should be known for common ingredients intended as nutrition complement.
 * They might not be part of officiel specifications, that does not mean we cant provide it. Musaran (talk) 07:52, 19 July 2023 (UTC)

Not Meaningless

 * I am suggesting that the page concentrate first on definitions of related terms (they are confusing) and then include the information from the joint US and Canada attempts to determine adequate daily input and toxic levels for nutrients. A separate section could include discussion of similar tables for various other nations and the EU. A reference should be included for each of these summary documents. The summary documents contain references to the specific research documents, which should probably not be cited in the Wiki.


 * The RDI and DV are intended to show Adequate Intake for 97.5% of the apparently healthy population, subject to age group, sex, caloric intake, water intake, exercise level, and balance between nutrients. Most of this information is ignored by the public, because the easily available information (Food Labels) is the DV across all age groups, sexes, 2000 kcal (dietary calories) intake, 2.7 liter/day water intake, and an exercise level to balance a 2000 kcal intake.


 * Food labeling should be a secondary or tertiary priority. The first priority should be to define the different terms and how they relate (RDA, RDI, DRI, DV, UL and so on) . The tables showing the DRI (adequate daily intake for 97.5% of the population) divided by age range and sex and the UL (Upper Limit of daily intake before toxic effects begin to appear) would be much more helpful than the tables currently in the page. See to obtain the appropriate tables in PDF documents

Drbits (talk) 02:58, 5 November 2015 (UTC)

Protein Intake
I'm a bit confused concerning minimum healthy protein consumption. As a vegan, I am often questioned as to whether I get enough protein in my diet. I've never really considered this an issue, as there is no Daily Value percentage assigned to protein intake. Any answers would be greatly appreciated.--Jnielsen 89 23:37, 1 April 2007 (UTC)


 * If you do some research, you will find out that the USA has about double the recommended amount of Protein vs other developed countries. Try to find where they calculated that figure and you will find that they just averaged the amount in the American diet and called that the "recommended amount".  If you are raw food vegan and eat lots of GREENS don't worry about it.  There is more protein in 200 calories of broccoli than 200 calories of red meat - and it's all well absorbed.  Protein is just the latest fad, don't worry about it.   Cheers.  Darrellx (talk) 12:22, 8 June 2010 (UTC)


 * Darrellx, 200 calories of broccoli (about 6.5 cups!!) contains about 17g of protein, while 200 calories of sirloin (a 4 oz. steak) contains 32g, according to CalorieKing. Where are you getting your data from? Traal (talk) 22:14, 27 May 2011 (UTC)


 * Darrellx, the protein RDI for the USA and WHO are the same. Most other industrialized countries have recommendations within 10% of the WHO recommendations. It is possible to obtain a sufficient intake of the Essential amino acids from green vegetables, but many people find this difficult.Drbits (talk) 23:26, 16 December 2015 (UTC)


 * The US recommended daily intake of protein is 0.8 grams of protein per KG of body weight (365 mg per pound of body weight). It is stated as weight, but target weight (BMI around 20 for men or 20-25 for women, see Body mass index) might be a better guide for minimum daily intake (add 15-25% to your protein intake, calculated by target weight, if you are trying to quickly build muscle size or quickly lose weight). For example, a 5'10" (178cm) person has a target weight of 153 pounds plus or minus 15 pounds (69.5 KG plus or minus 7 KG).


 * However, this assumes a "Complete amino acid profile" (see Essential amino acid). Many vegans lack adequate intake of some essential amino acids. Most vegetables and fruits contain a low amount of some amino acids. Soybeans and peanuts contain a good ratio of all of the essential amino acids ("Peanut flour" is peanuts with almost all of the fat and water removed, and "Textured soy protein" is soybeans with almost all of the oil, water, and fiber removed - it is about 80% protein and 15% net carbohydrates, calculated by averaging several brands). Drbits (talk) 23:26, 16 December 2015 (UTC)


 * I want to qualify these comments above that a vegan must seek foods with a "complete amino acid profile", "vegans lack adequate intake of.. amino acids" and that "vegetables and fruits contain a low amount of some amino acids". Show your reliable sources. These comments would be true if the vegan consumer ate only one or a few restricted fruit/vegetable selection. Many nutrition experts reaffirm the simple lesson mom taught us: eat a variety of plant foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, pulses/nuts/seeds, all of which overlap to meet protein and amino acid needs). My references: 1) UK NHS, 2) NIH, 3) Harvard. --Zefr (talk) 00:06, 17 December 2015 (UTC)

Energy intake
A male adult souild consume 400 calories a day.ГόΙΟ —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.240.144.179 (talk • contribs)
 * I think a normal value is more like between 2000 and 3000 kcal/day, but it is very dependent on the type of physical activity of a person. Unlike the RDI values for minerals and vitamins, where a 50% extra intake does little harm, a 50% extra energy intake has a very significant effect on body weight. I therefore don't think calories should be listed together with vitamins, although I'm not sure about the opinion of the organisations which establish the RDI values. Han-Kwang 10:22, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Confusing
What is the difference between this article and Dietary Reference Intake. They both appear to be about the same thing.--DustWolf (talk) 22:46, 20 August 2008 (UTC)
 * I agree. The situation with all these subtly different notions (RDA, RDI, DV, RDV, DRV), with meanings shifting in time, is already confusing, and having two articles adds to the confusion. Therefore I propose that the two be merged (see Talk:Dietary Reference Intake). I hope that this merge can be executed by someone who knows the subject matter and can do a better job in explaining the relationship between these TLAs than the current articles. BTW, most dictionaries list Recommended Daily Allowance as the first or only meaning of RDA (for example Stedman's Medical Dictionary and The American Heritage Abbreviations Dictionary), but, although Recommended Daily Allowance redirects to Dietary Reference Intake, this name is not mentioned at all in these articles and its meaning remains unexplained. --Lambiam 06:12, 4 August 2009 (UTC)

This article is useless and poorly written. If the RDI is set by an U.S. Government agency it would only have one official name. The article should use the official name and list other incorrect but often used names in a separate section. It lists the Agency as the FDA but only points to the US Dept of Agriculture(USDA)in the references. . Citation Needed! I am in need of official US Government standards and this page is no help at all, not even a proper citation. If I find official info, I will come back and update this article. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.249.23.17 (talk) 23:34, 14 August 2015 (UTC)


 * Yes confusing. This may help. In the United States DRI = Dietary Reference Intake, which includes Adequate Intake, Estimated Average Requirement, Recommended Dietary Allowance and Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (AI, EAR, RDA, UL). RDI = Reference Daily Intake, which is used for labels on food and vitamin/mineral supplements, expressed as a percentage of Daily Value. RDIs were originally set using the 1968 RDAs. RDAs have been repeatedly revised, but RDIs (and hence labeling) was frozen at the 1968 numbers. The most extreme example is the vitamin biotin. 100% DV (from the RDI) is 300 micrograms, whereas over time the RDA has been revised downward to 30 micrograms.David notMD (talk) 11:18, 12 March 2016 (UTC)


 * May 20, 2016: FDA announced new RDIs. Food and supplement labels required to be in compliance by July 26, 2018, but can do so sooner. Examples: Thiamin RDI and hence 100% Daily Value changed from 1.5 mg to 1.2 mg. Biotin changed from 300 to 30 micrograms.David notMD (talk) 21:49, 20 May 2016 (UTC)

Conflicting Value in Sodium Article
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium#Dietary_uses This article says 2400mg, that one says 500mg. I'm confused. 24.102.32.244 (talk) 07:13, 5 September 2009 (UTC)

daily allowance —Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.54.19.94 (talk) 10:26, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

Clarification of Sodium Intake
The recommended minimum intake (DRI) of sodium in the US and Canada for an apparently healthy adult is 500mg/day. Eating only meals cooked from scratch without any added salt can result in a daily sodium intake below 100mg/day.

The recommended maximum intake (UL) of sodium in the US and Canada for an apparently healthy adult is 2300mg/day. This assumes 2.7 liters of daily water intake (including the water in food, the water obtained by metabolism, and drinking almost 2 liters of water per day) and assumes a low level of sweating and an adequate potassium intake. Past UL for sodium have ranged between 2000mg and 2800mg per day. The UL is an estimate of the upper intake level that not known to pose any risk. The primary risk of high sodium intake is high blood pressure (hypertension).

Initially, hypertension does not usually have any symptoms, thus the recommendation that people get their blood pressure checked at least once every 6 months (long term hypertension threatens the heart, kidneys, blood vessels, and brain). The median daily sodium intake among apparently healthy US adults is over 3400 mg, most adults in the US have a low potassium intake and the median daily water intake is far below 2.7 liters. This puts over half of the US population at risk for hypertension.

To adjust for sweating, one needs to increase water intake to compensate for exercise or high temperatures. For an average adult, jogging causes around 2 liters of sweat per hour, while heavy exercise can result in as much as 4 liters of sweat per hour. An additional 800 to 900 mg of sodium intake is required for every extra liter of water intake see Perspiration. Drbits (talk) 04:06, 5 November 2015 (UTC)

RDIs all updated
Effective May 20, 2016 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration updated the format for food and supplement labels, including changing almost all RDIs (and hence the definition of 100% Daily Values) to be more in compliance with the latest Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs). Companies have until July 26, 2018 to be in compliance with all changes. It's going to be a messy two years, what with old and new products on the shelves with the old and new nutrition/supplement facts panels.David notMD (talk) 22:08, 20 May 2016 (UTC)
 * I don't see the public information stating that 23 of 26 nutrients have new DVs, and have requested that citation for the article in today's edit. Thanks. --Zefr (talk) 22:36, 20 May 2016 (UTC)


 * Zefr - As best I can determine, FDA intends to publish complete details on changes to DVs on May 27. Right now it is a 943 page pre-publication PDF. I scanned through Section M, on rationale for establishing newer RDIs based on RDAs or AIs, but did not find a table showing the final decisions.

https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2016/05/27/2016-11867/food-labeling-revision-of-the-nutrition-and-supplement-facts-labels

In the PROPOSED changes document in the Federal Register, dated 3/3/2014, Table 2 on page 11931 lists 26 vitamins and minerals and shows current and proposed RDIs. This was the basis of my comment on changes to 23 of 26 RDIs. https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2014/03/03/2014-04387/food-labeling-revision-of-the-nutrition-and-supplement-facts-labels David notMD (talk) 12:47, 21 May 2016 (UTC)


 * David notMD -- a lot to wade through to find what the DV changes are in those federal register documents. I suggest we wait for May 27 for the FDA summary of changes before entering information in the RDI article. --Zefr (talk) 15:32, 21 May 2016 (UTC)


 * I agree. But now hearing it will be July before the changes are published by the FDA.David notMD (talk) 02:24, 22 May 2016 (UTC)

FDA issues Final Rule on changes to facts panel. See: https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2016-11867.pdf  The new Daily Values are on pages 903-906. This Wikipedia entry may benefit from having side-by-side columns of the old and new Daily Values. And an explanation that while the new values can be used on labels, the deadline for making the changes is July 28, 2018. In the interim, products with old or new facts panel content will be on market shelves at same time.David notMD (talk) 18:16, 9 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Amending table to show old and new RDIs David notMD (talk) 02:28, 2 June 2017 (UTC)
 * Better reference - the Federal Register: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-05-27/pdf/2016-11867.pdf  David notMD (talk) 02:58, 27 August 2017 (UTC)
 * Update: Sept 29, 2017, FDA issued a proposed rule to extend implementation deadline to January 1, 2020 for manufacturers with $10 million or more in annual sales and and additional year - January 1, 2021, for those with annual sales below $10 million. David notMD (talk) 03:56, 13 October 2017 (UTC)
 * See: https://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm385663.htm#dates

Still confusing and DV is what most people want to understand, not RDI
I find the subject confusing because there are so many very similar concepts, many with similar acronyms (RDA, RDI, DRV, DV, AI). A very careful explanation is needed to avoid confusing the reader and the article isn't great in that respect.

I suspect 99.9% of people don't need to know what an RDI is. Instead, they want to know what the Daily Value (DV) is. The %DV is, after all, what people see on food labels. 'Daily Value' redirects to this article so it's unfortunate this article focuses more on the RDI. The NIH explains Daily Values as follows, and it seems a lot clearer than wikipedia's RDI/DV article.

"Recommended intakes of nutrients vary by age and sex and are known as Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) and Adequate Intakes (AIs). However, one value for each nutrient, known as the Daily Value (DV), is selected for the labels of dietary supplements and foods. A DV is often, but not always, similar to one’s RDA or AI for that nutrient. DVs were developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help consumers determine the level of various nutrients in a standard serving of food in relation to their approximate requirement for it. The label actually provides the %DV so that you can see how much (what percentage) a serving of the product contributes to reaching the DV."

Note that RDIs are not mentioned at all! Maybe DV should have its own article or this article should be reworked to introduce DV first and, for those who want to go into that detail, introduce the RDI later. Housecarl (talk) 04:49, 21 November 2022 (UTC)

Difference between RDI and RDA
The chart implies that a good diet (for most people) is one that keeps every nutrient within the range between RDA and UL. 142.119.100.34 (talk) 23:39, 12 May 2024 (UTC)
 * But then what about RDI, where does that fit in? Is it just a more recently-updated version of RDA?
 * I suppose that DV is a number used on labels, which for some nutrients is the RDA, for others the UL, and for others just a suggestion (i.e. the exact ratio of fats & carbs is less important than the total calories, protein, vitamins and minerals).
 * Is DRI the larger set that includes RDA, RDI, DV and UL?