Manganese AI Table
| Life stage | AI (mg/day) |
|---|---|
| Infant 0–6 mo | 0.003 |
| Infant 7–12 mo | 0.6 |
| 1–3 years | 0.6 |
| 4–8 years | 1.2 |
| 9–13 years | 1.9 (M) / 1.5 (F) |
| 14–18 years | 2.2 (M) / 1.6 (F) |
| 19+ years | 2.3 (M) / 1.8 (F) |
| Pregnancy | 2.0 |
| Lactation | 2.6 |
| Upper limit, adult | 11 |
| Food | Portion | mg | %DV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue mussels, cooked | 3 oz | 5.8 | 252% |
| Brown rice, cooked | 1 cup | 2.2 | 96% |
| Pecans, halves | 1 oz | 1.3 | 57% |
| Spinach, cooked | 1 cup | 0.8 | 35% |
| Oatmeal, cooked | 1 cup | 0.7 | 30% |
| Pineapple, raw | 1/2 cup | 0.6 | 28% |
| Chickpeas, cooked | 1/2 cup | 0.9 | 39% |
| Sweet potato, baked | 1 medium | 0.6 | 26% |
Manganese is the trace mineral with the narrowest window between enough and too much: the adult AI is 2.3 mg for men and 1.8 for women, the ceiling is 11 mg - a margin of barely five - and the toxicity it guards against is neurological. Chronic manganese excess (classically inhaled by welders and miners as fumes, or drunk for years in high-manganese well water) causes manganism: a Parkinson's-like syndrome of tremor, rigidity and personality change that does not fully reverse. There is no reliable blood test to steer by; the body manages this mineral by excretion alone.
The food table is generous and plant-leaning: blue mussels carry a wild 5.8 mg per 3 ounces - 252% of the Daily Value - pecans deliver 57% per ounce, and brown rice, oatmeal, spinach, pineapple, sweet potatoes and chickpeas all chip in. Vegans and vegetarians typically run the highest intakes (whole grains, nuts, legumes are the carriers), which is safe against the food ceiling but worth knowing with high-manganese well water in the picture.
Iron is the quiet variable: iron deficiency increases manganese absorption, and infants are the special case - formula and soy-based foods carry relatively high manganese while the infant gut absorbs more of it, which is why the AI drops to 0.003 mg in the first six months, the smallest meaningful number on this family of tables.
How to use
- Find your row: 2.3 mg for men and 1.8 mg for women from 19; 2.2/1.6 for teens 14-18; 1.9/1.5 at 9-13; 1.2 at 4-8 and 0.6 at 1-3; just 0.003 mg in the first six months (infant absorption is high and formula carries more than breast milk).
- Meet it the plant-counter way: oatmeal at breakfast (0.7 mg per cup), brown rice at dinner (1.1-2.2), a handful of pecans (1.3 per ounce), spinach, pineapple or chickpeas in rotation - anyone eating whole grains and nuts clears the AI without thought; the only way to miss is a diet built on refined everything.
- Keep the exposure lane separate from the food lane: welding fumes, mining dust and long-term high-manganese well water are the documented toxicity routes - neurologists screen exposed workers precisely because blood manganese tracks exposure poorly - and iron-deficient people absorb a larger fraction of whatever they ingest, one more reason anemia deserves real treatment.
Frequently asked questions
How much manganese do I need per day?
The NIH Adequate Intake is 2.3 mg for men and 1.8 mg for women from 19; teens 14-18 need 2.2 (boys) and 1.6 (girls); children 0.6-1.9 mg by age; infants just 0.003 mg before 6 months - the smallest row on this family of tables, reflecting high infant absorption. The Daily Value on labels is 2.3 mg. The ceiling (UL) is 11 mg a day for adults - a narrow five-fold margin compared with most nutrients.
What foods are highest in manganese?
Blue mussels are the outlier: 5.8 mg per 3 ounces (252% DV). The everyday shelf is plant-based: pecans 1.3 mg per ounce (57%), brown rice 1.1-2.2 mg per cup (up to 96%), oatmeal 0.7 per cup (30%), spinach about 0.8 per cup cooked, pineapple 0.6 per half cup (28%), sweet potato, chickpeas and whole-wheat bread. Vegans and vegetarians run the highest intakes because whole grains, nuts and legumes carry it - comfortably inside the ceiling from food alone.
Can you get manganese toxicity - from what?
Not from food in normal diets, yes from what you breathe and (rarely) drink: welding fumes and mining dust are the classic routes, causing manganism - tremor, muscle rigidity, slowed movement and personality changes that resemble Parkinson's disease and respond poorly to standard Parkinson's treatment. Chronic high-manganese well water produces the same picture in some regions. The UL of 11 mg a day guards this; food-based intakes sit 3-5 times below it.
Why is there no blood test for manganese status?
Blood manganese reflects recent exposure more than body stores, and the tightest regulation happens in the liver's excretion, not the bloodstream - so clinicians cannot draw a number that says 'low' or 'high' the way they can for iron or B12. Deficiency states were only ever produced experimentally (rashes, poor bone formation, mood changes in small metabolic-ward studies). Practical status is inferred from diet, and toxicity is inferred from exposure history plus neurological signs - one reason occupational monitoring leans on symptom checklists.
Do vegans or infants need special manganese attention?
Both sit at opposite ends of the same bell curve. Vegans and vegetarians have the highest intakes (grains, nuts, legumes) - still safely below the 11 mg ceiling from food, though supplement stacking plus high-manganese well water is the theoretical stack to avoid. Infants are the more studied side: their guts absorb manganese far more efficiently and formula carries more than breast milk, which is why the 0-6 month AI is 0.003 mg and why regulators scrutinize infant formula manganese levels specifically.