The trouble with determining a recommended daily allowance for chromium picolinate is that scientists are not fully sure what purpose this mineral serves. They know that it's essential, but according to Drugs.com, deficiencies are rare and your body needs only small traces of chromium to survive. Chromium picolinate is one of the forms of chromium currently marketed as a nutritional supplement.
Recommended Dietary Allowance vs. Adequate Intake
The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences determines reference values regarding nutritional intake. Recommended Dietary Allowance, or RDA, is a term used by the IOM to refer to the average daily intake that fulfills the nutritional needs of 98 percent of healthy people. In cases where there's a dearth of sufficient research on a particular nutrient by which to establish a recommended dietary allowance, the Institute of Medicine instead establishes an Adequate Intake, or AI, for the nutrient. The AI corresponds to the dosage of this nutrient that most healthy people consume daily.
Adequate Intake of Chromium for Young Children
The AI for chromium was established in the late 1980s by the National Academy of Sciences. It determined that chromium needs vary with age and gender, increasing gradually up to the age of 50 and decreasing slightly thereafter. According to the Office of Dietary Supplements, the AI for children up to 6 months old is 0.2 mcg daily. For those 7 to 12 months old, this dosage increases to 5.5 mcg daily. From 1 to 3 years, the AI for chromium is 11 mcg daily. Between the ages of 4 and 8, the AI for chromium is 15 mcg per day.
Adequate Intake of Chromium for Older Males
The typical male between the ages of 9 and 13 years of age has a daily chromium AI of 25 mcg per day. Between the ages of 14 and 50, his chromium AI increases to 35 mcg per day. Once he passes the age of 50, his chromium AI falls to 30 mcg daily.
Adequate Intake of Chromium for Older Females
Between the ages of 9 to 13 years, a female's AI is 21 mcg per day. Women 14 through 18 years of age have a chromium AI of 24 mcg per day. From 19 to 50 years of age, a woman's chromium AI is 25 mcg. In the years that follow, her AI falls to 20 mcg per day.
Pregnant and lactating women have higher AIs. Between the ages of 14 and 18, a pregnant woman's daily AI for chromium is 29 mcg per day, while a lactating woman has an AI of 44 mcg daily. Between the ages of 19 and 50, a pregnant woman's AI for chromium is 30 mcg per day and a lactating woman's AI is 45 mcg daily.
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