Nutrient#Essentiality

{{Main|Nutrition}}{{More citations needed|section|date=December 2022}}

Macronutrients are defined in several ways.{{cite book| first = Mark | last = Kern | name-list-style = vanc |title=CRC desk reference on sports nutrition|url=https://archive.org/details/crcdeskreference0000kern|url-access=registration|access-date=12 October 2010|date=12 May 2005|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-0-8493-2273-0|pages=[https://archive.org/details/crcdeskreference0000kern/page/117 117]–}}

• The chemical elements humans consume in the largest quantities are carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulphur, summarized as CHNOPS.
• The chemical compounds that humans consume in the largest quantities and provide bulk energy are classified as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Water must be also consumed in large quantities but does not provide caloric value.
• Calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, and chloride ions, along with phosphorus and sulfur, are listed with macronutrients because they are required in large quantities compared to micronutrients, i.e., vitamins and other minerals, the latter often described as trace or ultratrace minerals.{{Cite web|date=2018-07-16|title=31.1C: Essential Nutrients for Plants|url=https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_and_General_Biology/Book%3A_General_Biology_(Boundless)/31%3A_Soil_and_Plant_Nutrition/31.1%3A_Nutritional_Requirements_of_Plants/31.1C%3A_Essential_Nutrients_for_Plants|access-date=2020-08-16|website=Biology LibreTexts|language=en}}

Macronutrients provide energy:

• Carbohydrates are compounds made up of types of sugar. Carbohydrates are classified according to their number of sugar units: monosaccharides (such as glucose and fructose), disaccharides (such as sucrose and lactose), oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides (such as starch, glycogen, and cellulose).
• Proteins are organic compounds that consist of amino acids joined by peptide bonds. Since the body cannot manufacture some of the amino acids (termed essential amino acids), the diet must supply them. Through digestion, proteins are broken down by proteases back into free amino acids.
• Fats consist of a glycerin molecule with three fatty acids attached. Fatty acid molecules contain a -COOH group attached to unbranched hydrocarbon chains connected by single bonds alone (saturated fatty acids) or by both double and single bonds (unsaturated fatty acids). Fats are needed for construction and maintenance of cell membranes, to maintain a stable body temperature, and to sustain the health of skin and hair. Because the body does not manufacture certain fatty acids (termed essential fatty acids), they must be obtained through one's diet.
• Ethanol is not an essential nutrient, but it does provide calories. The United States Department of Agriculture uses a figure of {{convert|6.93|kcal|lk=in|}} per gram of alcohol ({{convert|5.47|kcal|disp=or|abbr=on}} per ml) for calculating food energy.{{cite web|title=Composition of Foods Raw, Processed, Prepared USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 26 Documentation and User Guide|url=http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/12354500/Data/SR26/sr26_doc.pdf|publisher=USDA|page=14|date=August 2013}} For distilled spirits, a standard serving in the U.S. is {{cvt|1.5|USoz|order=flip}}, which at 40% ethanol (80 proof) would be 14 grams and 98 calories.

Micronutrients are essential dietary elements required in varying quantities throughout life to serve metabolic and physiological functions.{{cite journal|pmc=4927329|year=2016|last1=Gernand|first1=A. D|title=Micronutrient deficiencies in pregnancy worldwide: Health effects and prevention|journal=Nature Reviews Endocrinology|volume=12|issue=5|pages=274–289|last2=Schulze|first2=K. J|last3=Stewart|first3=C. P|last4=West Jr|first4=K. P|last5=Christian|first5=P|doi=10.1038/nrendo.2016.37|pmid=27032981}}{{cite journal|pmid=27116240|year=2016|last1=Tucker|first1=K. L|title=Nutrient intake, nutritional status, and cognitive function with aging|journal=Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences|volume=1367|issue=1|pages=38–49|doi=10.1111/nyas.13062|bibcode=2016NYASA1367...38T|doi-access=free}}

• Dietary minerals, such as potassium, sodium, and iron, are elements native to Earth, and cannot be synthesized. They are required in the diet in microgram or milligram amounts. As plants obtain minerals from the soil, dietary minerals derive directly from plants consumed or indirectly from edible animal sources.{{cite web|title=Minerals|url=http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals|publisher=Micronutrient Information Center, Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University|access-date=18 May 2023|location=Corvallis, OR|date=2023}}
• Vitamins are organic compounds required in microgram or milligram amounts.{{cite web|title=Vitamins|url=http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins|publisher=Micronutrient Information Center, Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University|location=Corvallis, OR|access-date=18 May 2023|date=2023}} The importance of each dietary vitamin was first established when it was determined that a disease would develop if that vitamin was absent from the diet.

{{anchor|Essential nutrients}}

An essential nutrient is a nutrient required for normal physiological function that cannot be synthesized in the body – either at all or in sufficient quantities – and thus must be obtained from a dietary source.{{cite web | url = http://library.med.utah.edu/NetBiochem/nutrition/lect1/2_1.html | title = What is an essential nutrient? | publisher = NetBiochem Nutrition, University of Utah}}{{cite book| first1 = John Griffith | last1 = Vaughan | first2 = Catherine | last2 = Geissler| first3 = Barbara | last3 = Nicholson | first4 = Elisabeth | last4 = Dowle | first5 = Elizabeth | last5 = Rice | name-list-style = vanc |title=The new Oxford book of food plants|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UdKxFcen8zgC&pg=PA212|access-date=13 October 2010|year=2009|publisher=Oxford University Press US|isbn=978-0-19-954946-7|pages=212–}} Apart from water, which is universally required for the maintenance of homeostasis in mammals,{{cite journal | vauthors = Jéquier E, Constant F | title = Water as an essential nutrient: the physiological basis of hydration | journal = European Journal of Clinical Nutrition | volume = 64 | issue = 2 | pages = 115–23 | date = February 2010 | pmid = 19724292 | doi = 10.1038/ejcn.2009.111 | s2cid = 205129670 | url = http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v64/n2/pdf/ejcn2009111a.pdf | doi-access = free }} essential nutrients are indispensable for various cellular metabolic processes and for the maintenance and function of tissues and organs.{{cite journal | vauthors = Chipponi JX, Bleier JC, Santi MT, Rudman D | title = Deficiencies of essential and conditionally essential nutrients | journal = The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition | volume = 35 | issue = 5 Suppl | pages = 1112–6 | date = May 1982 | pmid = 6805293 | doi = 10.1093/ajcn/35.5.1112 | doi-access = free }} The nutrients considered essential for humans comprise nine amino acids, two fatty acids, thirteen vitamins, fifteen minerals and choline. In addition, there are several molecules that are considered conditionally essential nutrients since they are indispensable in certain developmental and pathological states.{{cite book |last1=Carver |first1=Jane | name-list-style = vanc |chapter=Conditionally essential nutrients: choline, inositol, taurine, arginine, glutamine and nucleotides |editor1-first=Patti J |editor1-last=Thureen |editor2-first=William W |editor2-last=Hay |title=Neonatal Nutrition and Metabolism |date=2006 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge, UK|pages=299–311|doi=10.1017/CBO9780511544712.020|isbn=9780511544712}}{{cite journal | vauthors = Kendler BS | title = Supplemental conditionally essential nutrients in cardiovascular disease therapy | journal = The Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing | volume = 21 | issue = 1 | pages = 9–16 | date = 2006 | pmid = 16407731 | doi = 10.1097/00005082-200601000-00004 | s2cid = 28748412 }}

{{Main|Essential amino acid}}

An essential amino acid is an amino acid that is required by an organism but cannot be synthesized de novo by it, and therefore must be supplied in its diet. Out of the twenty standard protein-producing amino acids, nine cannot be endogenously synthesized by humans: phenylalanine, valine, threonine, tryptophan, methionine, leucine, isoleucine, lysine, and histidine.{{cite journal | vauthors = Young VR | title = Adult amino acid requirements: the case for a major revision in current recommendations | journal = The Journal of Nutrition | volume = 124 | issue = 8 Suppl | pages = 1517S–1523S | date = August 1994 | pmid = 8064412 | doi = 10.1093/jn/124.suppl_8.1517S | url = http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/reprint/124/8_Suppl/1517S.pdf }}{{cite web | title = Dietary Reference Intakes: The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements | publisher = Institute of Medicine's Food and Nutrition Board | url = http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/dietary-guidance/dietary-reference-intakes/dri-reports |access-date=14 July 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140705140516/http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/dietary-guidance/dietary-reference-intakes/dri-reports |archive-date=5 July 2014 }}

{{Main|Essential fatty acid}}

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are fatty acids that humans and other animals must ingest because the body requires them for good health but cannot synthesize them.{{cite book | title = Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease | edition = 6th | year = 1980 | first1 = Robert S. | last1 = Goodhart | first2 = Maurice E. | last2 = Shils | name-list-style = vanc | publisher = Lea and Febinger | location = Philadelphia | isbn = 978-0-8121-0645-9 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/modernnutritionie6shil/page/134 134–138] | url = https://archive.org/details/modernnutritionie6shil/page/134 }} Only two fatty acids are known to be essential for humans: alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid) and linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid).{{cite book | vauthors = Ellie W, Rolfes SR | title = Understanding Nutrition | edition = 11th | location = California | publisher = Thomson Wadsworth | year = 2008 | pages = 154}}

{{Main|Vitamin}}

Vitamins occur in a variety of related forms known as vitamers. The vitamers of a given vitamin perform the functions of that vitamin and prevent symptoms of deficiency of that vitamin. Vitamins are those essential organic molecules that are not classified as amino acids or fatty acids. They commonly function as enzymatic cofactors, metabolic regulators or antioxidants. Humans require thirteen vitamins in their diet, most of which are actually groups of related molecules (e.g. vitamin E includes tocopherols and tocotrienols):{{cite journal | vauthors = Brigelius-Flohé R, Traber MG | title = Vitamin E: function and metabolism | journal = FASEB Journal | volume = 13 | issue = 10 | pages = 1145–55 | date = July 1999 | pmid = 10385606 | doi = 10.1096/fasebj.13.10.1145 | s2cid = 7031925 | doi-access = free }} vitamins A, C, D, E, K, thiamine (B₁), riboflavin (B₂), niacin (B₃), pantothenic acid (B₅), pyridoxine (B₆), biotin (B₇), folate (B₉), and cobalamin (B₁₂). The requirement for vitamin D is conditional, as people who get sufficient exposure to ultraviolet light, either from the sun or an artificial source, synthesize vitamin D in the skin.{{cite web |title=Vitamin D |url=https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/vitamin-D |publisher=Micronutrient Information Center, Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, Corvallis |access-date=14 March 2022 |date=11 February 2021}}

{{Main|Mineral (nutrient)}}

Minerals are the exogenous chemical elements indispensable for life. Although the four elements: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen (CHON) are essential for life, they are so plentiful in food and drink that these are not considered nutrients and there are no recommended intakes for these as minerals. The need for nitrogen is addressed by requirements set for protein, which is composed of nitrogen-containing amino acids. Sulfur is essential, but again does not have a recommended intake. Instead, recommended intakes are identified for the sulfur-containing amino acids methionine and cysteine.

The essential nutrient trace elements for humans, listed in order of recommended dietary allowance (expressed as a mass), are potassium, chloride, sodium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, manganese, copper, iodine, chromium, molybdenum, and selenium. Additionally, cobalt is a component of vitamin B₁₂ which is essential. There are other minerals which are essential for some plants and animals, but may or may not be essential for humans, such as boron and silicon.

{{Main|Choline}}

Choline is an essential nutrient.{{cite web |title=Dietary Intakes of Choline |url=https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400530/pdf/dbrief/9_choline_intakes_0708.pdf |website=usda.gov |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture |access-date=May 8, 2021}}{{cite web |title=Choline |url=https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Choline-HealthProfessional/#:~:text=Choline%20is%20an%20essential%20nutrient,phospholipids%20vital%20for%20cell%20membranes. |website=nih.gov |publisher=National Institutes of Health |access-date=May 8, 2021}}{{cite journal |last1=Zeisel |first1=Steven H |last2=da Costa |first2=Kerry-Ann |title=Choline: an essential nutrient for public health |journal=Nutrition Reviews |date=November 1, 2009 |volume=67 |issue=11 |pages=615–623 |doi=10.1111/j.1753-4887.2009.00246.x |pmid=19906248 |url= |pmc=2782876 }} The cholines are a family of water-soluble quaternary ammonium compounds.{{cite encyclopedia|title=Choline|url=http://www.hmdb.ca/metabolites/hmdb00097|website=Human Metabolome Database|publisher=The Metabolomics Innovation Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada|access-date=13 September 2016|date=17 August 2016}}Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "choline". Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Dec. 2013, https://www.britannica.com/science/choline. Accessed 17 February 2022. Choline is the parent compound of the cholines class, consisting of ethanolamine having three methyl substituents attached to the amino function.National Center for Biotechnology Information (2022). PubChem Compound Summary for CID 305, Choline. Retrieved February 17, 2022 from https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Choline. Healthy humans fed artificially composed diets that are deficient in choline develop fatty liver, liver damage, and muscle damage. Choline was not initially classified as essential because the human body can produce choline in small amounts through phosphatidylcholine metabolism.{{cite web |title=Choline |url=https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/other-nutrients/choline |website=Micronutrient Information Center |date=28 April 2014 |publisher=Oregon State University |access-date=May 8, 2021}}

Conditionally essential nutrients are certain organic molecules that can normally be synthesized by an organism, but under certain conditions in insufficient quantities. In humans, such conditions include premature birth, limited nutrient intake, rapid growth, and certain disease states. Inositol, taurine, arginine, glutamine and nucleotides are classified as conditionally essential and are particularly important in neonatal diet and metabolism.

{{Main|Dietary fiber}}

Non-essential nutrients are substances within foods that can have a significant impact on health. Dietary fiber is not absorbed in the human digestive tract.{{Cite web|title=High-Fiber Diet - Colon & Rectal Surgery Associates|url=http://www.colonrectal.org/high_fiber.cfm|access-date=2020-08-16|website=www.colonrectal.org|archive-date=2020-09-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926091147/http://colonrectal.org/high_fiber.cfm|url-status=dead}} Soluble fiber is metabolized to butyrate and other short-chain fatty acids by bacteria residing in the large intestine.{{cite journal | vauthors = Vital M, Howe AC, Tiedje JM | title = Revealing the bacterial butyrate synthesis pathways by analyzing (meta)genomic data | journal = mBio | volume = 5 | issue = 2 | pages = e00889 | date = April 2014 | pmid = 24757212 | pmc = 3994512 | doi = 10.1128/mBio.00889-14 }}{{cite journal | vauthors = Lupton JR | title = Microbial degradation products influence colon cancer risk: the butyrate controversy | journal = The Journal of Nutrition | volume = 134 | issue = 2 | pages = 479–82 | date = February 2004 | pmid = 14747692 | doi = 10.1093/jn/134.2.479 | doi-access = free }}{{cite journal | vauthors = Cummings JH, Macfarlane GT, Englyst HN | title = Prebiotic digestion and fermentation | journal = The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition | volume = 73 | issue = 2 Suppl | pages = 415S–420S | date = February 2001 | pmid = 11157351 | doi = 10.1093/ajcn/73.2.415s | doi-access = free }} Soluble fiber is marketed as serving a prebiotic function with claims for promoting "healthy" intestinal bacteria.{{cite journal | vauthors = Brownawell AM, Caers W, Gibson GR, Kendall CW, Lewis KD, Ringel Y, Slavin JL | title = Prebiotics and the health benefits of fiber: current regulatory status, future research, and goals | journal = The Journal of Nutrition | volume = 142 | issue = 5 | pages = 962–74 | date = May 2012 | pmid = 22457389 | doi = 10.3945/jn.112.158147 | doi-access = free }}

Ethanol (C₂H₅OH) is not an essential nutrient, but it does supply approximately {{convert|7|kcal|kJ|order=flip|abbr=off}} of food energy per gram.{{cite journal | vauthors = Lieber CS | title = Relationships between nutrition, alcohol use, and liver disease | journal = Alcohol Research & Health | volume = 27 | issue = 3 | pages = 220–31 | date = 29 September 2004 | pmid = 15535450 | pmc = 6668875 | url = https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh27-3/220-231.htm | access-date = 2 January 2020 }} For spirits (vodka, gin, rum, etc.) a standard serving in the United States is {{convert|1+1/2|USfloz|ml|order=flip|abbr=off}}, which at 40%{{nbsp}}ethanol (80{{nbsp}}proof) would be 14 grams and {{convert|98|kcal|kJ|order=flip|abbr=on}}. At 50%{{nbsp}}alcohol, 17.5 g and {{convert|122.5|kcal|kJ|order=flip|abbr=on}}. Wine and beer contain a similar amount of ethanol in servings of {{convert|5|and|12|USfloz|mL|order=flip|abbr=on}}, respectively, but these beverages also contribute to food energy intake from components other than ethanol. A {{convert|5|USfloz|mL|order=flip|abbr=on}} serving of wine contains {{convert|100|to|130|kcal|kJ|order=flip|abbr=on}}. A {{convert|12|USfloz|mL|order=flip|abbr=on}} serving of beer contains {{convert|95|to|200|kcal|kJ|order=flip|abbr=on}}.{{Cite web |title=RECENT DATA ON ETHANOL CONTRIBUTION TO ENERGY REQUIREMENTS OF NORMAL INDIVIDUALS. UPPER LIMIT OF ALCOHOL INTAKE |url=https://www.fao.org/4/M2834E/M2834E00.htm |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=www.fao.org}}

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, based on NHANES 2013–2014 surveys, women ages 20 and up consume on average 6.8{{nbsp}}grams of alcohol per day and men consume on average 15.5 grams per day.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400530/pdf/1314/Table_1_NIN_GEN_13.pdf|title="What We Eat in America, NHANES 2013-2014"}} Ignoring the non-alcohol contribution of those beverages, the average ethanol contributions to daily food energy intake are {{convert|48|and|108|kcal|kJ|order=flip|abbr=on}}, respectively. Alcoholic beverages are considered empty calorie foods because, while providing energy, they contribute no essential nutrients.

By definition, phytochemicals include all nutritional and non-nutritional components of edible plants.{{cite web|title=Phytochemicals|url=http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/dietary-factors/phytochemicals|publisher=Micronutrient Information Center, Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR|access-date=31 December 2017|date=February 2016}} Included as nutritional constituents are provitamin A carotenoids,{{cite web|title=Carotenoids|url=http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/dietary-factors/phytochemicals/carotenoids|publisher=Micronutrient Information Center, Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR|access-date=31 December 2017|date=August 2016}} whereas those without nutrient status are diverse polyphenols, flavonoids, resveratrol, and lignans that are present in numerous plant foods.{{cite web|title=Flavonoids|url=http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/dietary-factors/phytochemicals/flavonoids|publisher=Micronutrient Information Center, Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR|access-date=31 December 2017|date=February 2016}} Some phytochemical compounds are under preliminary research for their potential effects on human diseases and health. However, the qualification for nutrient status of compounds with poorly defined properties in vivo is that they must first be defined with a Dietary Reference Intake level to enable accurate food labeling,{{cite web|title=Nutrient content claims--general principles; 21CFR101.13|url=https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=101.13|publisher=US Food and Drug Administration|access-date=31 December 2017|date=1 April 2017}} a condition not established for most phytochemicals that are claimed to provide antioxidant benefits.{{cite web |title= New Roles for Polyphenols. A 3-Part Report on Current Regulations and the State of Science | last = Gross | first = Paul | name-list-style = vanc |date= 1 March 2009 |publisher= Nutraceuticals World |url= http://www.nutraceuticalsworld.com/issues/2009-03/view_features/new-roles-for-polyphenols/}}

See Vitamin, Mineral (nutrient), Protein (nutrient)

An inadequate amount of a nutrient is a deficiency. Deficiencies can be due to several causes, including an inadequacy in nutrient intake, called a dietary deficiency, or any of several conditions that interfere with the utilization of a nutrient within an organism. Some of the conditions that can interfere with nutrient utilization include problems with nutrient absorption, substances that cause a greater-than-normal need for a nutrient, conditions that cause nutrient destruction, and conditions that cause greater nutrient excretion. Nutrient toxicity occurs when excess consumption of a nutrient does harm to an organism.{{cite journal | vauthors = Campbell TC, Allison RG, Fisher KD | title = Nutrient toxicity | journal = Nutrition Reviews | volume = 39 | issue = 6 | pages = 249–56 | date = June 1981 | pmid = 7312225 | doi = 10.1111/j.1753-4887.1981.tb07453.x }}

In the United States and Canada, recommended dietary intake levels of essential nutrients are based on the minimum level that "will maintain a defined level of nutriture in an individual", a definition somewhat different from that used by the World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization of a "basal requirement to indicate the level of intake needed to prevent pathologically relevant and clinically detectable signs of a dietary inadequacy".{{cite book | author = Panel on Dietary Antioxidants and Related Compounds | chapter = Introduction to Dietary Reference Intakes. What are dietary reference intakes? | pages = 21–22 | title = Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Carotenoids | chapter-url = https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK225465/ |publisher=Institute of Medicine, US National Academies of Science|access-date=31 December 2017|date=2017|doi=10.17226/9810|pmid=25077263|isbn=978-0-309-06935-9}}

In setting human nutrient guidelines, government organizations do not necessarily agree on amounts needed to avoid deficiency or maximum amounts to avoid the risk of toxicity.{{cite web | url = http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/~/media/Files/Activity%20Files/Nutrition/DRI-Tables/5Summary%20TableTables%2014.pdf?la=en | title = Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180911225459/http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/~/media/Files/Activity%20Files/Nutrition/DRI-Tables/5Summary%20TableTables%2014.pdf?la=en | archive-date = 11 September 2018 | publisher = Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine, National Academies }}{{citation| title = Tolerable Upper Intake Levels For Vitamins And Minerals| publisher = European Food Safety Authority| year = 2006| url = http://www.efsa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/efsa_rep/blobserver_assets/ndatolerableuil.pdf}}[http://www.nibiohn.go.jp/eiken/info/pdf/dris2010en.pdf Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese (2010)] National Institute of Health and Nutrition, Japan For example, for vitamin C, recommended intakes range from 40 mg/day in India{{cite web |url=http://icmr.nic.in/final/rda-2010.pdf |title=Nutrient Requirements and Recommended Dietary Allowances for Indians: A Report of the Expert Group of the Indian Council of Medical Research. pp.283-295 (2009) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160615094048/http://icmr.nic.in/final/RDA-2010.pdf |archive-date=15 June 2016 |access-date=31 December 2017 }} to 155 mg/day for the European Union.{{cite web |title=Overview on Dietary Reference Values for the EU population as derived by the EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies |year=2017 |url=https://www.efsa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/assets/DRV_Summary_tables_jan_17.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828082247/https://www.efsa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/assets/DRV_Summary_tables_jan_17.pdf |archive-date=28 August 2017 }} The table below shows U.S. Estimated Average Requirements (EARs) and Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for vitamins and minerals, PRIs for the European Union (same concept as RDAs), followed by what three government organizations deem to be the safe upper intake. RDAs are set higher than EARs to cover people with higher-than-average needs. Adequate Intakes (AIs) are set when there is insufficient information to establish EARs and RDAs. Countries establish tolerable upper intake levels, also referred to as upper limits (ULs), based on amounts that cause adverse effects. Governments are slow to revise information of this nature. For the U.S. values, except calcium and vitamin D, all data date from 1997 to 2004.

* The daily recommended amounts of niacin and magnesium are higher than the tolerable upper limit because, for both nutrients, the ULs identify the amounts that will not increase the risk of adverse effects when the nutrients are consumed as a serving of a dietary supplement. Magnesium supplementation above the UL may cause diarrhea. Supplementation with niacin above the UL may cause flushing of the face and a sensation of body warmth. Each country or regional regulatory agency decides on a safety margin below when symptoms occur so that the ULs may differ based on the source.

EAR U.S. Estimated Average Requirements.

RDA U.S. Recommended Dietary Allowances; higher for adults than children and may be even higher for pregnant or lactating women.

AI U.S. Adequate Intake; AIs are established when there is insufficient information to set EARs and RDAs.

PRI Population Reference Intake is the European Union equivalent of RDA; it is higher for adults than for children and maybe even higher for pregnant or lactating women. For Thiamin and Niacin, the PRIs are expressed as amounts per megajoule (239 kilocalories) of food energy consumed.

Upper Limit Tolerable upper intake levels.

ND ULs have not been determined.

NE EARs, PRIs, or AIs have not yet been established or will not be (EU does not consider chromium an essential nutrient).

{{Main|Plant nutrition|Fertilizer}}

Plants absorb carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen from air and soil as carbon dioxide and water.{{cite book| first = J. Benton | last = Jones | name-list-style = vanc |title=Plant nutrition manual|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rNP2exwYMJIC&pg=PA34|access-date=14 October 2010|year=1998|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1-884015-31-1|pages=34–}} Other nutrients are absorbed from soil (exceptions include some parasitic or carnivorous plants). Counting these, there are 17 important nutrients for plants:{{cite book| vauthors = Barker AV, Pilbeam DJ |title=Handbook of plant nutrition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZWjLBQAAQBAJ|access-date=17 August 2010|year=2007|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-0-8247-5904-9}} these are macronutrients; nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), sulfur (S), magnesium (Mg), carbon (C), oxygen(O) and hydrogen (H), and the micronutrients; iron (Fe), boron (B), chlorine (Cl), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo) and nickel (Ni). In addition to carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur are also needed in relatively large quantities. Together, these six are the elemental macronutrients for all organisms.

[https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703377504575650840897300342?mod=ITP_pageone_1#printMode New Link in Chain of Life], Wall Street Journal, 2010-12-03, accessed 5 December 2010. "Until now, however, they were all thought to share the same biochemistry, based on the Big Six, to build proteins, fats, and DNA."

They are sourced from inorganic matter (for example, carbon dioxide, water, nitrates, phosphates, sulfates, and diatomic molecules of nitrogen and, especially, oxygen) and organic compounds such as carbohydrates, lipids, proteins.

== See also ==

{{Columns-list|colwidth=30em|

• Food composition
• Nutrient cycle
• Nutrient density
• Nutrition
• Nutritionism
• List of macronutrients
• List of micronutrients
• List of nutrition guides
• List of phytochemicals in food
• River Continuum Concept
• Table of food nutrients

}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Nutrients}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20161008111338/https://fnic.nal.usda.gov/sites/fnic.nal.usda.gov/files/uploads/recommended_intakes_individuals.pdf USDA. Dietary Reference Intakes]

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Category:Chemical oceanography

Category:Ecology

Category:Edaphology

Category:Biology and pharmacology of chemical elements

Category:Nutrition

Category:Essential nutrients