Introduction to Human Nutrition

124 Introduction to Human Nutrition

used to describe the population mean normative

requirement (which would allow the maintenance of,

or a desirable, body store or reserve); “maximum” to

refer to the upper limit of safe ranges of population

mean intakes; and “basal” for the lower such limit,

below which clinically detectable signs of inadequacy

would be expected to appear. These WHO require-

ments are revised in groups of nutrients at different

times (see Further reading), and in those that date

from 1974 the term “recommended intake” or “rec-

ommended nutrient intake” is used to describe the

average requirement plus an amount that takes into

account interindividual variability and hence is con-

sidered to be suffi cient for the maintenance of health

in nearly all people.

More recently, the United Nations University

(UNU) has published a suggested harmonized

approach and methodologies for developing nutrient

recommendations, together with proposed terminol-

ogy (Box 7.1), that could be used worldwide to

promote objectivity, transparency, and consistency

among those setting and using nutrient recommen-

Box 7.1 Terms used to describe points a, b, and c on the frequency distribution

abc

European Communities Scientifi c Committee for Food

Population reference intakes (1993)

Lowest threshold intake

(LTI)

Average requirement

(AR)

Population reference

intake (PRI)

US Food and Nutrition Board,

National Academy of Sciences,

National Research Council

Recommended daily allowances (1989)

Recommended daily

allowance (RDA)

US Food and Nutrition Board,

Institute of Medicine,

National Academies of Health, Canada

Dietary reference intakes (1997–2005)

Estimated average

requirement (EAR)

Recommended daily

allowance (RDA)

British Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy

(COMA)

Dietary reference values (1991)

Lower reference

nutrient intake (LRNI)

Estimated average

requirement (EAR)

Reference nutrient intake

(RNI)

World Health Organization/Food and Agriculture

Organization (WHO/FAO)

Recommended nutrient

intake (RNI)

National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC),

Australia and New Zealand

Nutrient reference values (2006)

Estimated average

requirement (EAR)

Recommended dietary

intake (RNI)

United Nations University (UNU)

Nutrient intake values (2007)

Average nutrient

requirement (ANR)

Individual nutrient level

(INLx; in this case INL 98 )

Box 7.2 Additional terms used

European population

reference intake

(1993)

Acceptable range of intakes

US recommended daily

allowance (1989)

Safe intake and adequate intake

US dietary reference

intake (1997–2005)

Adequate intake (AI) and tolerable

upper intake level (UL), acceptable

macronutrient distribution range

(AMDR)

British dietary reference

value (1991)

Safe and adequate intake

World Health

Organization (1974–

1996)

Recommended intake

World Health

Organization (1996–)

Basal, normative, and maximum

population requirement ranges,

mean intake goals

National Health and

Medical Research

Council (2006)

Acceptable macronutrient

distribution range (AMDR) and

suggested dietary target (SDT)

United Nations

University (2007)

Upper nutrient level (UNL)