Mineral Intake References Compared: US, UK, EU and Canada
Adult intake figures for calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium, iodine and selenium side by side from Canada (DRI tables), the UK and the EU, with source, year and why the numbers differ.
Content last updated . This page has not been medically reviewed.
This page is information only. Use the table for your own country, and ask a clinician or pharmacist what applies to you.
What each body calls its numbers
| Body | Name of the main figure | Source and year |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (and the joint US-Canadian DRI programme) | RDA, or AI when evidence is thinner; UL for the upper level | Health Canada's "Reference values for elements" table, page dated 2025-11-19; its calcium values date from 2011 [2][4] |
| United Kingdom | Government dietary recommendations, based on Reference Nutrient Intakes (RNI) | Government Dietary Recommendations table; its note says the mineral figures come from the 1991 UK report [1][5] |
| European Union | Population Reference Intake (PRI), or Adequate Intake (AI) | EFSA Dietary Reference Values summary report, approved 4 December 2017 [3] |
We could not read the US National Institutes of Health fact sheets (the server refused the download), so US-specific tables are not reproduced here. The US and Canada developed their Dietary Reference Intakes as a joint activity, [4] but we could not confirm US figures page by page, so check a US source for any US-specific difference.
Recommended intakes: adult women
Amounts are for the mineral as listed by each body. Check the label for what a product actually supplies; see Mineral Units Explained. [6]| Mineral | Canada: RDA/AI, age 19 to 30 | UK: age 19 to 64 | EU (EFSA): adults |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calcium | 1,000 mg [2] | 700 mg [1] | 950 mg, age 25 and over (PRI) [3] |
| Iron | 18 mg [2] | 14.8 mg for ages 19 to 50; 8.7 mg for 50 and over [1] | 16 mg before menopause, 11 mg after (PRI) [3] |
| Zinc | 8 mg [2] | 7.0 mg [1] | 7.5 to 12.7 mg depending on dietary phytate (PRI) [3] |
| Magnesium | 310 mg [2] | 270 mg [1] | 300 mg (AI) [3] |
| Iodine | 150 mcg [2] | 140 mcg [1] | 150 mcg (AI) [3] |
| Selenium | 55 mcg [2] | 60 mcg [1] | 70 mcg (AI) [3] |
Recommended intakes: adult men
| Mineral | Canada: RDA/AI, age 19 to 30 | UK: age 19 to 64 | EU (EFSA): adults |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calcium | 1,000 mg [2] | 700 mg [1] | 950 mg, age 25 and over (PRI) [3] |
| Iron | 8 mg [2] | 8.7 mg [1] | 11 mg (PRI) [3] |
| Zinc | 11 mg [2] | 9.5 mg [1] | 9.4 to 16.3 mg depending on dietary phytate (PRI) [3] |
| Magnesium | 400 mg [2] | 300 mg [1] | 350 mg (AI) [3] |
| Iodine | 150 mcg [2] | 140 mcg [1] | 150 mcg (AI) [3] |
| Selenium | 55 mcg [2] | 75 mcg [1] | 70 mcg (AI) [3] |
mg is milligram and mcg is microgram; 1,000 micrograms equal 1 milligram. [6] Age groups are not identical: the Canadian values above are for ages 19 to 30, and calcium for women over 50 is higher in the Canadian table (a 1,200 mg RDA for ages 51 to 70). [2] Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children and older adults have separate figures; see Mineral Intake Reference Tables by Age and Life Stage.
Upper levels are even less alike
The three bodies do not use the same kind of number for every mineral. Canada and EFSA give Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (ULs) where the evidence allows. In the UK, the NHS lists amounts of supplements that the Department of Health and Social Care says are unlikely to cause harm, which is guidance rather than a UL. [2][7][8]| Mineral | Canada UL, age 19 to 30 | UK guidance (supplements) | EU (EFSA) UL or safe level, adults |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calcium | 2,500 mg [2] | 1,500 mg or less a day unlikely to cause harm [8] | UL 2,500 mg [7] |
| Iron | 45 mg [2] | 17 mg or less a day of supplements unlikely to cause harm [9] | No UL; safe level of intake 40 mg [7] |
| Zinc | 40 mg [2] | Not more than 25 mg of supplements a day unless advised by a doctor [10] | UL 25 mg [7] |
| Magnesium | 350 mg, from a pharmacological agent only [2] | 400 mg or less a day from supplements unlikely to cause harm [10] | UL 250 mg, from readily dissociable salts such as supplements and added magnesium [7] |
| Iodine | 1,100 mcg [2] | 0.5 mg (500 mcg) or less a day of supplements unlikely to cause harm [11][6] | UL 600 mcg [7] |
| Selenium | 400 mcg [2] | 350 mcg or less a day of supplements unlikely to cause harm [10] | UL 255 mcg [7] |
Read the gaps with care. EFSA's magnesium and Canada's magnesium upper levels apply only to magnesium from supplements and similar sources, not to food, so they are not comparable to a food-plus-supplement total. [2][7] EFSA's selenium UL (255 mcg, from its 2023 opinion) is lower than the Canadian one. [7]
Why the numbers differ
| Reason | What the sources show |
|---|---|
| Different dates | The UK figures in the table we read trace back to a 1991 report, though the UK's advisory committee has since reviewed some nutrients, including iron and selenium. [1][5] Canada's calcium values date from 2011 and replaced 1997 values. [2] |
| Different yardsticks | EFSA set the selenium AI from the level at which a blood protein stops rising; calcium came from balance studies; magnesium is based on observed intakes. [3] |
| Different handling of diet | EFSA lists four zinc values for four phytate levels. Canada's footnotes say the zinc requirement may be as much as 50 percent greater for vegetarians and the iron requirement 1.8 times higher. [3][2] |
| Different groups | EFSA separates women before and after menopause for iron; the UK table splits women at 50. [3][1] |
The RDA, PRI and RNI all mean roughly "enough for nearly all healthy people in the group", and none is a minimum or a target to exceed. See How Mineral Requirements Are Set. [4][12][5]
Frequently asked questions
Why does the UK recommend less calcium than Canada or the EU?
The UK table lists 700 mg a day for adults, Canada's table lists 1,000 mg (ages 19 to 30) and EFSA 950 mg (age 25 and over). The sources do not say why in one sentence; the bodies reviewed different evidence in different years. [1][2][3]
Which country's figures should I follow?
Use the ones for the country where you live or the ones your clinician uses. EFSA, for example, says its values are not nutrient goals or recommendations for individuals. [12]
Are the upper limits the same as the amounts I should take?
No. An upper level is the highest daily intake considered unlikely to cause harm for healthy people, and it is not a recommended level. [13]
Why does EFSA give a range for zinc?
Zinc absorption falls as dietary phytate rises, so EFSA gives separate figures for phytate intakes of 300, 600, 900 and 1,200 mg a day. [3]
Do these figures apply in pregnancy or to children?
Not the adult figures shown here. Each body has separate values for pregnancy, breastfeeding and childhood, and a clinician should guide supplement use in these groups. See Mineral Needs Across Life Stages. [3]
More details: evidence, limits and cautions
The details behind this page: cautions, limits of the evidence and where sources disagree. Open any note to read it.
Limits and safety
- No universal winner. Nothing in the sources we read ranks one country's figures as better than another's. Use the figures from the body that applies where you live, or the one your clinician uses.
- Healthy-population values. They do not account for kidney or liver conditions, medicines, pregnancy or surgery. Ask a clinician or pharmacist, and see Medication Interactions.
- Iron is dangerous to children in excess. The NHS warns that very high doses of iron can be fatal, particularly in children, and to keep iron supplements out of reach. In the US, Poison Help is 1-800-222-1222. [9] See Iron Overdose and Child Safety.
- Zinc can reduce copper. The NHS says high zinc doses reduce the copper the body can absorb. [10]
- Label Daily Values are a different tool again; see RDA, AI, DV and UL.
References
- Public Health England. Government Dietary Recommendations (UK; mineral figures from the 1991 COMA report per the table note). Read 2026-10-23.
- Health Canada. Dietary reference intakes tables: Reference values for elements (page dated 2025-11-19). Read 2026-10-23.
- European Food Safety Authority (2017). Dietary Reference Values for nutrients: Summary report. EFSA Supporting Publication 2017:e15121. Read 2026-10-23.
- Institute of Medicine (1998). Introduction to Dietary Reference Intakes, in Dietary Reference Intakes for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline. National Academies Press. Read 2026-10-23.
- British Nutrition Foundation. Nutrient requirements (UK). Read 2026-10-23.
- NHS (UK). Vitamins and minerals (page last reviewed 3 August 2020). Read 2026-10-23.
- European Food Safety Authority (August 2025). Overview on Tolerable Upper Intake Levels as derived by the Scientific Committee on Food and the EFSA NDA Panel. Read 2026-10-23.
- NHS (UK). Vitamins and minerals: Calcium (page last reviewed 3 August 2020). Read 2026-10-23.
- NHS (UK). Vitamins and minerals: Iron (page last reviewed 3 August 2020). Read 2026-10-23.
- NHS (UK). Vitamins and minerals: Others (magnesium, selenium, zinc and more) (page last reviewed 3 August 2020). Read 2026-10-23.
- NHS (UK). Vitamins and minerals: Iodine (page last reviewed 3 August 2020). Read 2026-10-23.
- European Food Safety Authority. Dietary reference values (page last reviewed 5 August 2024). Read 2026-10-23.
- Health Canada. Dietary reference intakes tables: Overview (page dated 2025-11-19). Read 2026-10-23.