Where there is inadequate scientific evidence to establish requirements and reference intakes for a nutrient for which deficiency is rarely, if ever, seen, the observed levels of intake are assumed to be greater than requirements, and thus provide an estimate of intakes that are (more than) adequate to meet needs.
Used when an RDA cannot be determined. The AI is based on observation or experimentation and is an estimate of intake by healthy individuals.
The Adequate Intake value is one of four possible Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) values established for a nutrient by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences. The AI represents the level of a nutrient that is estimated to meet the needs of most healthy people within a specific age range and gender when there is a lack of data to establish a Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) value.
The recommended daily average intake of a nutrient, deemed sufficient for a healthy individual with moderate activity levels, as established by the U.S. Institute of Medicine.
An advised average daily intake level of nutrients, established based on observed or experimentally determined estimations of nutrient consumption by a group of healthy individuals.