In 1993, the European Scientific Committee for Food set population reference intakes (PRI) for zinc in milligrams (mg) per day (61):

Age	Males:mcg/day	Females:mcg/day
6–12 months	4	4
1–3 years	4	4
4–6 years	6	6
7–10 years	7	7
11–14 years	9	9
15–17 years	9	9
18 years and older	9.5	7
Pregnant	-	7
Breast-feeding	-	12

Since a sensitive indicator of zinc nutritional status is not readily available, the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board’s recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for zinc represents the daily intake likely to prevent deficiency in nearly all individuals in a specific age and gender group (3):

 

Life Stage	Age	Males:mcg/day	Females:mcg/day
Infants	0–6 months	2 (AI)	2 (AI)
Infants	7–12 months	3	3
Children	1–3 years	3	3
Children	4–8 years	5	5
Children	9–13 years	8	8
Adolescents	14–18 years	11	9
Adults	19 years and older	11	8
Pregnancy	18 years and younger	-	12
Pregnancy	19 years and older	-	11
Breast-feeding	18 years and younger	-	13
Breast-feeding	19 years and older	-	12

The requirement for dietary zinc may be as much as 50% greater for strict vegetarians whose major food staples are grains and legumes, because high levels of ‘phytic acid’ in these foods reduce zinc absorption (3).

 

For a detailed overview of recommended daily intakes (PRIs/RDAs) of vitamins and minerals for adults derived from different countries and organizations see PDF.