Why is the dose of vitamins often above the RDA?
- Apr 4, 2023
You may have noticed that the dosages of vitamins in dietary supplements often exceed the established Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA). This may raise questions about the usefulness and safety of these dosages. It is important to know that it can certainly be useful to take higher doses. The RDA, also known as DRI (Daily Reference Intake), is set to prevent deficiency diseases for the average population, but does not look at the optimal amount. Various target groups benefit from higher doses, which give them a more optimal vitamin or mineral status.
Vitamin D recommendation
A good example is vitamin D. In the Netherlands we have an ADH of 5 micrograms per day. The Health Council recently advised that the elderly and people whose skin is not or hardly exposed to the sun need a much higher dose. The recommendation that applies to the elderly is 400% of the RDA.
RDA folic acid for pregnant women
You see the same for pregnant women and the need for folic acid. The ADH in the Netherlands is set at 200 micrograms per day, while pregnant women need at least twice as much.
Athletes: higher need for B vitamins
Athletes also have an increased need for B vitamins, which are involved in metabolism. With B vitamins you often see that the daily dose contains more than 1000% of the RDA. For vitamins B1, B2, B12 and pantothenic acid, the European Organization for Food Safety (EFSA) has not established an acceptable upper limit. No negative effects have been observed with the current intake, from both food and dietary supplements. A maximum amount of 21 mg has been set for vitamin B6 in the Netherlands.
Safe use
Golden Naturals nutritional supplements meet all legal requirements. What is particularly important for safe use is that you stick to the dose stated on the packaging. Each package therefore contains a warning not to exceed the recommended dose.