Therefore without micronutrients supplements humans are unable to get at least the RDA...
...and those RDA have been set on what basis than, supplement industry revenues?
RDA has been set by IOM (wikipedia excerpt): Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA), the daily dietary intake level of a nutrient considered sufficient by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine to meet the requirements of 97.5% of healthy individuals in each life-stage and sex group.
They are set at a level which prevents worst deficiencies diseases, but not for optimal health or individual requirements (mthf mutations, etc.).
http://www.ewg.org/r...deficiencies-us
Nutrient from food alone, ranked by the occurrence of dietary inadequacy among adults | Percentage of dietary intakes below the estimated average requirement for a specific population* | Naturally occurring sources of nutrient** |
2-to-8-year-old children | 14-to-18-year-old girls | Adults 19 and older
Vitamin D | 81% | 98% | 95% | Fatty fish, mushrooms [vitamin D is naturally formed in the body when skin is exposed to sunlight; vitamin D is added to fortified milk]
Vitamin E | 65% | 99% | 94% | Nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, green leafy vegetables
Magnesium | 2% | 90% | 61% | Whole grains, wheat bran and wheat germ, green leafy vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds
Vitamin A | 6% | 57% | 51% | Preformed vitamin A: liver, fatty fish, milk, eggs; provitamin A carotenoids: carrots, pumpkins, tomatoes, leafy green vegetables
Calcium | 23% | 81% | 49% | Milk, yogurt, cheese, kale, broccoli
Vitamin C | 2% | 45% | 43% | All fruits and vegetables, particularly citrus fruits and tomatoes
Vitamin B6 | 0.1% | 18% | 15% | Many foods; highest levels in fish, beef, poultry, potatoes and other starchy vegetables, and fruit other than citrus
Folate | 0.2% | 19% | 13% | Many foods; highest levels in spinach, liver, asparagus, Brussels sprouts [mandatory, standardized addition to enriched flour and flour products]
Zinc | 0.2% | 24% | 12% | Red meat, poultry, beans, nuts, some seafood, whole grains
Iron | 0.7% | 12% | 8% | Highest amounts in meat and seafood; lower levels in nuts and beans [mandatory, standardized addition to enriched flour and flour products]
Thiamin | 0.1% | 10% | 7% | Whole grain products [mandatory, standardized addition to enriched flour and flour products]
Copper | 0% | 16% | 5% | Shellfish, whole grains, beans, nuts, potatoes, organ meats (kidneys, liver)
Vitamin B12 | 0% | 7% | 4% | Animal products: fish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk
Riboflavin | 0% | 5% | 2% | Milk and dairy products, eggs, meat, green leafy vegetables, legumes [mandatory, standardized addition to enriched flour and flour products]
Niacin | 0.1% | 4% | 2% | Meat, fish, seeds and nuts, whole grains [mandatory, standardized addition to enriched flour and flour products]
Selenium | 0% | 2% | 1% | Found in different plant and animal foods; highest levels in seafood and organ meats (kidneys, liver)
Since we are talking about B vitamins, which are hydro soluble and excreted so quickly one has to take them trice a day (according to illuminating previous posts), do you mind to explain in details how come that it is "impossible to remedy already existing deficiencies this way"?
Skipping one day supplementation or, even worse, having one day fasting will cause a deficiency impossible to remedy without supplementation...yeah, sure.
Think that's a total myth. Whenever I test blood levels it's after at least 12 hrs fasting. The only time some of my Bs came back very deficient was before starting supplementation years ago.
By the way, a case of chronic disease doesn't seem like the more appropriate example in order to justify B vitamins supplementation.
In an average balanced diet the B vitamins are the most unlikely to fall short since their abundance in most foods (B12 and B3 for the elderly might be an exception, not because they are scarce but for possible metabolic changes due to age).
30 years of avoiding meat without supplementation created deficiencies in my case. So better know your blood-work and supplement accordingly. It took me a long time by slowly increasing methylfolate up to 2mg to find out, that is the dose for me to get homocysteine down. 2 g/d of elemental magnesium to avoid mucsle-cramps.
Chronic disease and metabolic deterioration is rather the rule than the exception with advanced age.