Dietary Reference Intake
Because of the difference in bioavailability between supplemented folic acid and the different forms of folate found in food, the dietary folate equivalent (DFE) system was established. One DFE is defined as 1 μg (microgram) of dietary folate, or 0.6 μg of folic acid supplement.
| Age | Infants (RDI) | Infants (UL) | Adults (RDI) | Adults (UL) | Pregnant women (RDI) | Pregnant women (UL) | Lactating women (RDI) | Lactating women (UL) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–6 months | 65 | None set | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 7–12 months | 80 | None set | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1–3 years | – | – | 150 | 300 | – | – | – | – |
| 4–8 years | – | – | 200 | 400 | – | – | – | – |
| 9–13 years | – | – | 300 | 600 | – | – | – | – |
| 14–18 | – | – | 400 | 800 | 600 | 800 | 500 | 800 |
| 19+ | – | – | 400 | 1000 | 600 | 1000 | 500 | 1000 |
The Dietary Reference Intake (DRIs) were developed by the United States National Academy of Sciences to set reference values for planning and assessing nutrient intake for healthy people. DRIs incorporate two reference values, the Reference Daily Intake (RDI, the daily intake level that is adequate for 97–98% of the population in the United States where the standards were set) and tolerable upper intake levels (UL, the highest level of intake that is known to avoid toxicity). The UL for folate refers to only synthetic folate, as no health risks have been associated with high intake of folate from food sources.
Read more about this topic: Folic Acid
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