Current Dietary Intakes of Trace Elements and Minerals

The purpose of this chapter is to summarize what is known about current dietary intakes of trace elements and minerals. The trace elements and minerals discussed in this chapter are calcium (Ca), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), fluoride (F), iron (Fe), iodine (I), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), phosphorus (P), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn). The information about dietary intakes of these trace elements and minerals was obtained primarily from government surveys and studies. Table 1 provides a listing of food consumption surveys conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) since the 1970s. Table 1 indicates the years these surveys were conducted, the methods for obtaining the food consumption information, and the trace elements and minerals evaluated in each survey.