The Recommended Daily Intake Of Vitamins For Adults

Vitamins are organic compounds that are needed in small amounts for the body to carry out its functions. Some vitamins can be synthesized by the body, but most must be included in the diet. The Food and Nutrition Board, which is a subgroup of the Institute of Medicine, recommends specific daily vitamin intakes to ensure that adults stay healthy.

Vitamin A

The most active form of vitamin A is called "retinol." Because of this, vitamin intake is measured in retinol activity equivalents, or RAE. Adult women should aim to consume 700 mcg RAE of vitamin A daily, whereas adult men should consume 900 mcg RAE of vitamin A every day. Vitamin A can be found in organ meats, milk, fortified cereals, cheese, eggs, carrots, spinach and sweet potatoes.

Vitamin D

Most of the vitamin D that people get is synthesized in the body with help from the ultraviolet rays of the sun. Since it is hard to determine how much vitamin D comes from the sun, daily recommendations for vitamin D are given in ranges. Adults should aim to consume between 5 and 15 mcg vitamin D daily.

Vitamin E

According to "Nutrition and You" by Joan Salge Blake, there are eight different forms of natural vitamin E. The most active form in the body is called alpha-tocopherol. Daily recommendations for vitamin E are given in alpha-tocopherol equivalents. Both women and men should consume 15 mg of alpha-tocopherol vitamin E daily. The best sources of vitamin E are nuts, seeds, vegetable oils and fortified cereals.

Vitamin K

The Food and Nutrition Board recommends that women consume 90 mcg vitamin K every day and men consume 120 mcg daily. Vitamin K is usually associated with green vegetables, such as broccoli, spinach, salad greens, asparagus, Brussels sprouts and cabbage. Margarine and vegetable oils also provide good sources of vitamin K.

B Vitamins

Although once thought to be a single vitamin, the B vitamin group is composed of a variety of different vitamins: thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin B12, pantothenic acid and biotin. Adult women require 1.1 mg and adult men require 1.3 mg of both thiamine and riboflavin daily. The recommended daily amount of niacin is 14 mg for women and 16 mg for men. Vitamin B6 recommendations are given in ranges. Women should aim for 1.3 to 1.5 mg per day, and men should aim for 1.3 to 1.7 mg daily. Folate is measured in dietary folate equivalents, and most adults should consume 400 mcg DFE of folate daily. Both women and men require 2.4 mcg vitamin B12, 5 mg pantothenic acid and 30 mcg biotin daily. The B vitamins can be found across a wide variety of foods, including: whole grains, fortified cereals, milk, yogurt, meat, fish, poultry, fruits, nuts, peanut butter, eggs and green vegetables.

Vitamin C

Women should consume 74 mg of vitamin C daily and men 90 mg. According to "Nutrition and You," Americans meet 90 percent of their vitamin C needs through the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, broccoli, oranges and cantaloupe are excellent sources of vitamin C.