I 1993, the European Scientific Committee for Food set population reference intakes (PRI) for vitamin B12 in micrograms (mcg) per day (26):
| Age | Males: mcg/day | Females: mcg/day |
| 6–12 months | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| 1–3 years | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| 4–6 years | 0.9 | 0.9 |
| 7–10 years | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| 11–14 years | 1.3 | 1.3 |
| 15–17 years | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| 18 years and older | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| Pregnant | - | 1.6 |
| Breast-feeding | - | 1.9 |
In 1998, the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board set recommended dietary allowance (RDA) values for vitamin B12 that should meet the dietary requirement (27):
| Life Stage | Age | Males: (mcg/day) | Females: (mcg/day) |
| Infants | 0–6 months | 0.4 (AI) | 0.4 (AI) |
| Infants | 7–12 months | 0.5 (AI) | 0.5 (AI) |
| Children | 1–3 years | 0.9 | 0.9 |
| Children | 4–8 years | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Children | 9–13 years | 1.8 | 1.8 |
| Adolescents | 14–18 years | 2.4 | 2.4 |
| Adults | 19-50 years | 2.4 | 2.4 |
| Adults | 51 years and older | 2.4* | 2.4* |
| Pregnancy | all ages | - | 2.6 |
| Breast-feeding | all ages | - | 2.8 |
* Because of the increased risk of food-bound vitamin B12 malabsorption in older adults (see Deficiency), adults over 50 years of age are recommended to get most of the RDA from fortified food or vitamin B12-containing supplements (27).
Vitamin B12 is an exceptional B-vitamin as it can be stored in significant amounts, especially in the liver and the kidney.
For a detailed overview of recommended daily intakes (PRIs/RDAs) of vitamins and minerals for adults derived from different countries and organizations see PDF.
Authored by Dr Peter Engel in 2010, reviewed and revised by Angelika Friedel on 29.06.2017
