NUTR DRIs

Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs)

• Generic term referring to the reference values for nutrients and energy

• Set for different genders and stages of life

• Created for healthy people to stay healthy, decrease chronic disease risk, and prevent nutrient deficiencies

• Serve as a good guide to nutrition

What are DRI values used for?

• Developing nutrition labels, dietary guidelines, and food guides

• Ensuring foods and supplements contain safe levels of nutrients

• Creating patient and consumer counseling and educational programs

• Assessing nutrient intakes and monitoring the nutritional health of the population

Estimated Average Requirements (EARs)

• Nutrient intakes estimated to meet the needs of 50% of healthy individuals in each gender/life-stage group

• Established by the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) when they identify a physiological marker

• Used to assess the adequacy of a population’s food supply or typical nutrient intake

• Basis upon which RDA values are set

Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs)

• Nutrient intakes that are sufficient enough to meet the needs of almost all healthy people (97-98%)

• Standards for recommended daily intakes of several nutrients

• Set by adding “safety factors” to EARs

• Allows for individual variations in nutrient needs

• Helps maintain stores of the nutrients in the body’s tissues

Adequate Intakes (AIs)

• Dietary recommendations that assume a population’s average daily nutrient intakes are adequate because no deficiency diseases are present

• Values based on an approximation of the nutrient intake that sustains health and are based on what healthy people typically eat

• Note: target intake for a healthy individual

Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (ULs)

• Maximum daily intake levels that are unlikely to pose risks of adverse health effects to almost all individuals in each gender and life-stage group

• Health concerns when consuming larger amounts than recommended

• Could be from “all sources”, supplements alone, or from supplements and fortified foods combined

Chronic Disease Risk Reduction Intake (CDRR)

• The amount of a nutrient above which reducing intake is expected to lower chronic disease within a healthy population

• Established for sodium (2300 mg)

Estimated Energy Requirements (EERs)

• Average energy intake values predicted to maintain body weight in healthy individuals

• Based on age, gender, height, weight, and physical activity

• Note: doesn’t include a “margin of safety” > can be higher/lower than some people’s energy needs

Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDRs)

• Healthy ranges of intakes for carbs, fats, and protein

• Promotes diets that minimize disease risks and allow flexibility in food intake patterns

• Provide adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals relative to a person’s EER