Back
share
Micronutrient Requirements
Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals, and they are required in small quantities from our diet in order to maintain our health and survival. There are 13 essential vitamins and 15 essential minerals. Deciphering vitamin or mineral needs can be challenging and confusing, so below is a grid with the most up-to-date vitamin and mineral recommendations.
Points to Notices
Before moving on to the micronutrient charts take a look at the comments below, which will help you understand the chart.
- This article contains two charts. The first chart is recommended for healthy persons age 2 and above and the second chart is specifically for pregnant or lactating people. Disease states may alter vitamin or mineral needs.
- Units. In parenthesis after the name of the vitamin or mineral is the unit the vitamin is required in. A microgram (mcg) is 1,000 times smaller than a milligram (mg), so if a requirement is in micrograms then we need a smaller quantity than a vitamin or mineral requirement that is in milli In other words, 1 milligrams = 1,000 micrograms. Recommendations are provided in the most relevant unit to that micronutrient.
- mg = milligram
- mcg = microgram
- IU = international units (vitamin D only)
- Age and Sex. Biological females and biological males have the same micronutrient requirements until age 14, which is when the final stage of puberty
- Missing Micronutrients. Pantothenic acid (also known as B5), biotin (also known as B7), chloride, sulfur, and cobalt are not listed in the charts below. Even though they are essential nutrients, they do not have requirements because they are so abundant in our diet that we do not need to consider their intake.
Micronutrient Requirements by Age and Sex
| SEX | F/M | F | M | ||||||||
| AGE | 2-3 | 4-8 | 9-13 | 14-18 | 19-50 | 51+ | 14-18 | 19-50 | 51+ | ||
| Vitamins | |||||||||||
| A (mcg) | 300 | 400 | 600 | 700 | 700 | 700 | 900 | 900 | 900 | ||
| D (IU) | 600 | 600 | 600 | 600 | 600 | 600 | 600 | 600 | 600 | ||
| E (mg) | 6 | 7 | 11 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | ||
| K (mcg) | 30 | 55 | 60 | 75 | 90 | 90 | 75 | 120 | 120 | ||
| Thiamin/B1 (mg) | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1 | 1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.2 | ||
| Riboflavin/B2 (mg) | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1 | 1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.2 | ||
| Niacin/B3 (mg) | 6 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | ||
| Pyridoxine/B6 (mg) | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.7 | ||
| Cobalamin/B12 (mcg) | 0.9 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.4 | ||
| Folate (mcg) | 150 | 200 | 300 | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 | ||
| C (mg) | 15 | 25 | 45 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 90 | 90 | ||
| Minerals | |||||||||||
| Calcium (mg) | 700 | 1000 | 1300 | 1300 | 1000 | 1200 | 1300 | 1000 | 1000 | ||
| Phosphorus (mg) | 460 | 500 | 1250 | 1250 | 700 | 700 | 1250 | 700 | 700 | ||
| Potassium (mg) | 2000 | 2300 | 2300 | 2300 | 2600 | 2600 | 3000 | 3400 | 3400 | ||
| Sodium (mg) | 1200 | 1500 | 1800 | 2300 | 2300 | 2300 | 2300 | 2300 | 2300 | ||
| Magnesium (mg) | 80 | 130 | 240 | 360 | 310 | 320 | 410 | 400-420 | 420 | ||
| Iron (mg) | 7 | 10 | 8 | 15 | 18 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 8 | ||
| Zinc (mg) | 3 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 11 | ||
| Iodine (mcg) | 90 | 90 | 120 | 150 | 150 | 150 | 150 | 150 | 150 | ||
| Copper (mcg) | 340 | 440 | 700 | 890 | 900 | 900 | 890 | 900 | 900 | ||
| Fluoride (mg) | 0.7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||
| Manganese (mg) | 1.2 | 1.5 | 1.6-1.9 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 2.3 | ||
| Selenium (mcg) | 20 | 30 | 40 | 55 | 55 | 55 | 55 | 55 | 55 | ||
Points to Notice During Pregnancy and Lactation (postpartum)
● Highlighted Nutrients.
○ Nutrients that change considerably at the start of pregnancy are highlighted in blue.
○ Nutrients that change considerably postpartum are highlighted in green or red. Green indicates a substantial increase in the nutrient requirement and red indicates a substantial decrease in the nutrient requirement compared to requirements during pregnancy.
Micronutrient Requirements During Pregnancy and Lactation (postpartum)
| AGE GROUP | 14-18 | 19-50 | |||||||
| TRIMESTER | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Postpartum | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Postpartum | |
| Vitamins | |||||||||
| A (mcg) | 750 | 750 | 750 | 1200 | 770 | 770 | 770 | 1300 | |
| D (IU) | 600 | 600 | 600 | 600 | 600 | 600 | 600 | 600 | |
| E (mg) | 15 | 15 | 15 | 19 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 19 | |
| K (mcg) | 75 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | |
| Thiamin/B1 (mg) | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.4 | |
| Riboflavin/B2 (mg) | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.6 | |
| Niacin/B3 (mg) | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | |
| Pyridoxine/B6 (mg) | 1.9 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 2 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 2 | |
| Cobalamin/B12 (mcg) | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.8 | |
| Folate (mcg) | 600 | 600 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 600 | 600 | 500 | |
| C (mg) | 80 | 80 | 80 | 115 | 85 | 85 | 85 | 120 | |
| Minerals | |||||||||
| Calcium (mg) | 1300 | 1300 | 1300 | 1300 | 1000 | 1000 | 1000 | 1000 | |
| Phosphorus (mg) | 1250 | 1250 | 1250 | 1250 | 700 | 700 | 700 | 700 | |
| Potassium (mg) | 2600 | 2600 | 2600 | 2500 | 2900 | 2900 | 2900 | 2800 | |
| Sodium (mg) | 2300 | 2300 | 2300 | 2300 | 2300 | 2300 | 2300 | 2300 | |
| Magnesium (mg) | 400 | 400 | 400 | 360 | 350-360 | 350-360 | 350-360 | 310-320 | |
| Iron (mg) | 27 | 27 | 27 | 10 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 9 | |
| Zinc (mg) | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | |
| Iodine (mcg) | 220 | 220 | 220 | 290 | 220 | 220 | 220 | 290 | |
| Copper (mcg) | 1000 | 1000 | 1000 | 1300 | 1000 | 1000 | 1000 | 1300 | |
| Fluoride (mg) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |
| Manganese (mg) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2.6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2.6 | |
| Selenium (mcg) | 60 | 60 | 60 | 70 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 70 | |
References
1. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. 9th Edition. December 2020.
2. Dietary Supplement Fact Sheets. Accessed December 5, 2022. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/list-all/
