If you eat the eight to ten servings of fruits and vegetables a day that we recommend, you should get at least 200 mg. It should be 1,000 mg a day, some argue, because more than that may raise the risk of kidney stones. E Most people know that calcium and vitamin D are crucial for strong bones. But it's also important to get enough vitamin K. Women should shoot for 65 mcg a day, while men need 80 mcg. Green leafy vegetables are the best source.
Most people get sufficient fluoride from fluoridated water.
There is no good way to test for zinc deficiency. The selenium content of other foods varies depending on where they were grown. As little as 10,000 IU a day of vitamin A may raise the risk of birth defects when taken by pregnant women and may cause liver damage when taken by older people for 10 to 15 years. When sedentary older people were told to exercise for 45 minutes a day, those who were given vitamin E had fewer signs of muscle damage than those who took a placebo. The study used 800 IU a day, but as little as 200 IU to 400 IU may be sufficient.