MHMW

AI (adequate intake)

An AI is used where the evidence is insufficient to set an RDA: it is an observed or approximated intake assumed to be adequate. Water is the well-known example, which is why hydration guidance is softer than it sounds.

Example

The total-water AI is 3.7 L a day for men and 2.7 L for women, including water from food — not eight glasses of drinking water.

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