Nutrient Recommendations: Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI)

These documents are issued by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences. The Food and Nutrition Board addresses issues of safety, quality, and adequacy of the food supply; establishes principles and guidelines of adequate dietary intake; and renders authoritative judgments on the relationships among food intake, nutrition, and health.

DRI is the general term for a set of reference values used to plan and assess nutrient intakes of healthy people. These values, which vary by age and sex, include:

• Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA): average daily level of intake sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97%-98%) healthy people.
• Adequate Intake (AI): established when evidence is insufficient to develop an RDA and is set at a level assumed to ensure nutritional adequacy.
• Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL): maximum daily intake unlikely to cause adverse health effects.

For the latest information about the DRIs, go to the Health.gov DRI Activities Update: https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dri/updates.asp

Reports

• Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium 
• Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D
• Dietary Reference Intakes: Applications in Dietary Assessment
• Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Related Nutrients
• Dietary Reference Intakes for Folate and Other B Vitamins
• Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamins C, E, Selenium and Carotenoids
• Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamins A, K and Trace Elements
• Dietary Reference Intakes for Macronutrients (e.g., protein, fat and carbohydrates)
• Dietary Reference Intakes for Water and Electrolytes (e.g. chloride)

DRI Tables

• Recommended Dietary Allowances and Adequate Intakes, Elements
• Recommended Dietary Allowances and Adequate Intakes, Vitamins
• Recommended Dietary Allowances and Adequate Intakes, Total Water and Macronutrients
• Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges
• Tolerable Upper Intake Levels, Vitamins
• Tolerable Upper Intake Levels, Elements