Pediatric Nutrition in Practice

1 Specific Aspects of Childhood Nutrition

Key Words

Nutrient recommendations · Nutrient

requirements · Upper safe levels of intake ·

Extrapolation · Interpolation

Key Messages

• Nutrient intake values (NIV) provide estimates on
  appropriate dietary substrate supply for popula-
  tions of healthy people


• The average nutrient requirement is the estimated
  median requirement for a particular age- and sex-
  specific group


• The population reference intake is the intake that
  meets the nutrient needs of practically all healthy
  individuals in a particular population


• Major uncertainties exist in the establishment of
  NIV for infants, children and adolescents due to lim-
  ited scientific data. Deriving NIV from observed
  nutrient intakes (e.g. the nutrient supply provided
  by human milk) or extrapolation from other age
  groups has considerable limitations
  © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel

Introduction

Nutrient intake values (NIV) comprise a set of
recommendations on dietary substrate supply for
populations of healthy people. NIV are used to

assess intake data from dietary surveys and food

statistics; to provide guidance on appropriate di-

etary composition, meal provision and food-

based dietary guidelines, they serve as the basis

for national or regional nutrition policies, nutri-

tional education programmes and food regula-

tions and provide reference points for the label-

ling of food products if nutrient contents are ex-

pressed as a percentage of an NIV [1, 2]. The term

NIV has been agreed upon by an expert consulta-

tion convened by the United Nations University’s

Food and Nutrition Programme in collaboration

with the FAO, WHO and UNICEF [3] , rather

than the terms ‘nutrient reference values’ (previ-

ously used in Australia and New Zealand), ‘refer-

ence values for nutrient supply’ (in Germany/

Austria/Switzerland), ‘dietary reference values’

(in the UK), ‘dietary reference intakes’ or, previ-

ously, ‘recommended dietary allowances’ (RDA;

in the USA and Canada) [3].

Conceptually, NIV are based on physiological

requirements, which are defined as the amounts

and chemical forms of nutrients needed system-

atically to maintain normal health and develop-

ment without disturbance of the metabolism of

any other nutrient and without extreme homoeo-

static processes, excessive depletion and/or sur-

plus in bodily depots [1, 4 – 6]. The dietary re-

Koletzko B, et al. (eds): Pediatric Nutrition in Practice. World Rev Nutr Diet. Basel, Karger, 2015, vol 113, pp 29–33
DOI: 10.1159/000369234

1.3 Nutritional Needs

1.3.1. Nutrient Intake Values: Concepts and

Applications

Berthold Koletzko

1