Terms that are used to describe nutritional requirements

• Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)
• Dietary Reference Intake (DRI)
• Estimated Average Requirements (EAR)
• Adequate Intakes (AI)
• Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (UL)

Estimated Average Requirements (EAR). average daily intake level estimated to meet the needs of 50% of healthy people. These are age (broad category) and sex dependent. The EAR is used in the calculation of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) The EAR is also used to assess nutrient inadequacy across entire populations.

Adequate Indicate (AI). the average amount of a nutrient consumed daily by a healthy population. It is assumed to be adeqate for the population's needs. This value is used when there is insufficient data to establish an EAR.

Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL). This is the highest daily amount of a nutrient that is dare to consume. It includes intake from food, drink and supplements (pills, powders, etc.). Above this level, there may be risks to your health. These levels are age and sex dependent.