Article: Why You Shouldn't Rely on Recommended Daily Allowances
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Why You Shouldn't Rely on Recommended Daily Allowances
Most people are only concerned with hitting the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for various micronutrients. But where do these numbers come from, and what is their purpose?
The RDA, RDI (recommended daily intake), and %DV (percent daily value) are all estimates intended to reduce the risks of both nutrient deficiency and excessive nutrient intake.
Vitamins were first isolated in the 1920s and 1930s to tackle single nutrient deficiency diseases like scurvy and rickets. The new focus on single nutrient deficiencies coincided with the Great Depression and World War 2, which was a time of widespread fear of food shortages and led to further emphasis on preventing deficiency diseases. U.S. leaders were concerned about the population's health due to the Great Depression and wartime rationing and feared that undernourished workers harmed the war effort.
The first RDAs were established in 1941 by the U.S. Research Council at the request of the National Defense Advisory Commission and were developed as a basis for food relief efforts due to war and economic depression. The RDAs from the U.S. became the primary scientific basis for nutrition education, labeling, and design of food-based dietary guidelines worldwide. In the 1980s, nutrition science and policy guidelines in high-income nations shifted from addressing nutrient deficiencies to also addressing chronic disease. The RDAs have not changed much over the past 40 years, despite many scientific advances.
Meanwhile, the methods used to estimate the RDAs may be inaccurate or flawed. For example, the RDA for vitamin D is 600 IU per day, and this dose is assumed to achieve serum 25(OH)D levels of 20 ng/mL in 97.5% of healthy individuals. However, several studies point to statistical errors in the analysis used to determine the vitamin D RDA, and they estimate that a daily dose of ~9,000 IU would be needed to ensure that 97.5% of the population achieves adequate serum D levels.[1] This dose is well above the current RDA of 600 IU and the so-called tolerable upper limit of 4,000 IU. Miscalculating the RDA of something like vitamin D has severe implications for bone health, disease and injury prevention, energy levels, depression, respiratory illness, and chronic pain, among others.
Or consider vitamin C. Studies show that therapeutic dosages needed to treat disease are far higher than those required to prevent deficiency. For instance, improvement in endothelial function, dysfunction of which is considered an early sign of atherosclerosis, was observed with daily vitamin C doses above 500mg.[2] Research has shown that it is important to consume enough vitamin C to reach a plasma concentration of at least 60 nmol/L, which can typically be achieved by consuming 500mg of vitamin C daily. Based on his research, Dr. Linus Pauling, an American chemist awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, suggested that the optimum daily dose of vitamin C may be 2g per day. These amounts are far in excess of the RDA for vitamin C of 75-90mg per day.
The RDA is not a guideline for living your healthiest life; rather, it represents the minimum amount people need so that 97.5% of the population doesn’t get sick. While the RDA is a handy way to determine which foods are high in nutrients, it is little more than an educated guess. RDAs imply perfect conditions and don’t consider the increased need for certain nutrients to combat stress, environmental toxins, illness, poor diet, etc. The RDA is meant to prevent obvious deficiency, not to achieve optimal health. Meanwhile, not every nutrient needed for optimal health has an RDA. For instance, there is no RDA for the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, despite numerous studies that show their importance for cognitive health.
Unlike most supermarket multivitamins, the THRIVE Supplement contains therapeutic dosages of target nutrients that are sometimes well in excess of the RDA, to help you feel your absolute best, every day.
Note: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a physician before taking any supplement. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.