know your vitamin rda
January 28, 2008
10 Things Everyone Should Know About Vitamin RDA
The Recommended Dietary Allowance of the different vitamins are measurements of the vitamin requirements of each person on a daily basis. Essential nutrients should be taken in levels that adequately meet the demands of the body, hence the creation of RDA.
For awareness, everyone should know these things about vitamin RDA.
1. RDA differs with age and the size of the body which is dependent on the genetic materials found in the chromosomes of each individual.
2. RDA also depends on the different state of physiology of each body like if the person is lactating or pregnant, whether the person is male or female and the growth rate as well.
3. Special RDA requirements vary. For example, meeting the anti-aging RDA that attempts to reverse a diseased condition is much higher than in normal individuals. Strict compliance to RDA is recommended for the prevention of rickets or scurvy.
4. Water-soluble vitamins such as vitamin C, when taken in excessive amounts, won’t lead to overdose and the excess is simply excreted in the urine. But with other vitamins, taking excessive amounts leads to over dosage that leads to disease.
5. There is a common misconception that multivitamins may actually be harmful to the body. In most cases, taking multivitamins containing 100% of all the necessary vitamins isn’t considered harmful to the body.
6. Not all vitamins are recommended to be taken regularly. Vitamin K, one that is responsible for blood clotting, is only given to a patient when necessary. It can only be bought with a prescription.
7. Pre-natal vitamins are specially designed for pregnant women because of some of the more concentrated vitamins needed by the growing fetus.
8. With vitamins in pill form, only 10-15% of the nutrients is absorbed by the body. The rest is simply excreted in the urine or feces. This is because the body can absorb the vitamins better from food than from pills.
9. You shouldn’t be dependent on vitamins to complete the nutrient needs of the body. The body also needs carbohydrates, fats and proteins for it to be healthy. These should come from whole food products.
10. There is a move to adjust the RDA in some vitamins. Studies have found that there are certain vitamins that require larger doses while there are those that should only be given in smaller portions. These things each one of us should be aware of so that we know what exactly is needed by our bodies.