Consuming adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals is essential so that no deficiencies will occur. The United States Department of Agriculture, or USDA, has established different values for most vitamins and minerals, including magnesium and vitamin D. The recommended dietary daily allowance for each is the amount needed to meet the needs of 97.5 percent of healthy Americans. The upper limit for a vitamin or mineral is the most that can be consumed without risk of toxicity symptoms.
Acceptable Dose for Vitamin D
In 1997, the USDA, established the recommended dietary allowance, or RDA, for vitamin D to be 400 international units, or IUs . Recent research by chemist Joel Kauffman, Ph.D., advises that 400 IUs of vitamin D would probably cause a deficiency. Kauffman recommends that individuals consume 1000 to 2000 IUs in the form of a supplement.
Upper Level Intake for Vitamin D
The USDA also established the upper limit, or UL, for vitamin D back in 1997. They have stated that 2000 IUs is the most amount that can be taken without toxicity. Kauffman states in his current research that dosages up to 10,000 IUs for six to eight weeks have been shown to have no detrimental health effect on people with low blood amounts of vitamin D.
Acceptable Dose for Magnesium
In 1997, the USDA also established the RDA for magnesium. Females need to consume 310 mg per day, whereas males need to consume 400 mg per day. Current research has yet to investigate if the current RDA should be higher, like it has with vitamin D.
Upper Level Intake for Magnesium
The National Institute of Health reports that there is no current dietary UL for magnesium. However, there is a UL for supplemental magnesium. You should aim for less than 350 mg of magnesium per day from supplemental sources.
References
- "Chapter 6: Magnesium"; USDA; 1997
- "Benefits of Vitamin D Supplementation"; Joel Kauffman, Ph.D.; 2009
- "Chapter 7: Vitamin D"; USDA; 1997
- "Perspectives in Nutrition"; Gordon Wardlaw; 2007
- "Magnesium" ; National Institute of Health; 2009
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