Critical Appraisal of Current Approaches Towards Micronutrient Requirement

All recommendations for dietary intake (RDI), allowances (RDA) or amounts (RDA) are based on scientific data and reasonable judgements. Whereas scientific data are universally valid and may change only if new scientific evidence becomes available, reasonable judgements depend on the opinion of single scientists or scientific committees, and may vary according to the economic or nutritional conditions or the mode of thinking from country to country. This fact is the main reason that RDIs or RDAs differ between various countries. The scientific data on which RDIs or RDAs are based are often not known exactly and have to be estimated. These estimates may vary according to the methods used and may also be a reason for the variability of RDIs and RDAs.