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Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc
Vitamin A EAR and RDA Summary, Ages 1 through 18 Years
EAR for Children
1–3 years
210 μg RAE/day of vitamin A
4–8 years
275 μg RAE/day of vitamin A
EAR for Boys
9–13 years
445 μg RAE/day of vitamin A
14–18 years
630 μg RAE/day of vitamin A
EAR for Girls
9–13 years
420 μg RAE/day of vitamin A
14–18 years
485 μg RAE/day of vitamin A
The RDA for vitamin A is set by using a coefficient of variation (CV) of 20 percent based on the calculated half-life values for liver vitamin A (see “Adults Ages 19 Years and Older”). The RDA is defined as equal to the EAR plus twice the CV to cover the needs of 97 to 98 percent of individuals in the group (therefore, for vitamin A the RDA is 140 percent of the EAR). The calculated values for the RDAs have been rounded to the nearest 100 μg.
RDA for Children
1–3 years
300 μg RAE/day of vitamin A
4–8 years
400 μg RAE/day of vitamin A
RDA for Boys
9–13 years
600 μg RAE/day of vitamin A
14–18 years
900 μg RAE/day of vitamin A
RDA for Girls
9–13 years
600 μg RAE/day of vitamin A
14–18 years
700 μg RAE/day of vitamin A
Adults Ages 19 Years and Older
Evidence Considered in Estimating the Average Requirement
The calculation described below can be used for estimating the vitamin A requirement and is calculated on the basis of the amount of dietary vitamin A required to maintain a given body-pool size in well-nourished subjects. Olson (1987) determined the average requirement of vitamin A by this approach using the calculation:
