Did you ever wonder where those numbers come from that say how much of a certain substance your body needs in order to operate well? Well, let me see if I can inform just a bit.
The National Academy, to quote their site at http://www.nationalacademies.org, states the following: "The National Academies perform an unparalleled public service by bringing together committees of experts in all areas of scientific and technological endeavor. These experts serve pro bono to address critical national issues and give advice to the federal government and the public.
Four organizations comprise the Academies: the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council.".
Within the "Institutes of Medicine" (IOM - http://www.iom.edu), the "Food and Nutrition Board" runs a project known as the "Dietary Reference Intakes". Anyway, as a result of the efforts of the board, we are honored to have guidance, in the form of Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA's). It is important to note that doctors, biologists and nutritionists lend their considerable expertise to this effort. With the accumulation of additional scientific knowledge, RDA's are adjusted and substances added to the list of important biological nutrients.
My whole point in all of this is that real science stands behind the determination of adequate nutritional support in our diets. Also, as I alluded to in an earlier blog, we don't live in a nutritional nirvana. Most of us SHOULD be supplementing our diets simply due to the fact that we don't really eat enough of what we should.
For more information on how to satisfy your RDA requirements, visit here. For a complete set of DRI tables with more data than you can shake a stick at, look here. A PDF with the latest DRI numbers is here.
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