Dietary Reference Intakes and Goals

Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs)

• DRIs are nutrient reference values used for planning and assessing diets in Canada and the US
• DRIs provide a guide for good nutrition.
• Important for maintaining up-to-date standards.
• They are important for promoting health through various initiatives such as dietary guidelines, military assistance, nutrition programs, nutrition labeling, and health professional support
• DRIs currently can result in healthier Canadians and Americans
• DRIs are relevant to Global Population Health and Global Nutrient Standards

Goals of the DRI Committees

• Goal #1: Setting Recommended Intake Values
  • RDA: Based on strong experimental evidence and reliable observations
  • AI: Scientifically based, may require estimations.
• Goal #2: Facilitating Nutrition Research and Policy
  • EARs (Estimated Average Requirements): Nutrient requirements for specific life stages and gender groups.
• Goal #3: Establishing Safety Guidelines
  • UL (Tolerable Upper Intake Levels): Levels potentially hazardous, upper limits on intake.
• Goal #4: Preventing Chronic Diseases
  • AMDR (Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges): Proportion of nutrients from carbohydrates, fat and protein. These proportions help prevent chronic diseases.
    • 45%-65% Carbohydrates, 20%-35% Fat, 10%-35% Protein
    • these values are expressed as percentage of daily caloric intake

Nutrient Standards

• DRIs provide 5 lists of nutrient intake values for healthy people
• RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowances): Daily nutrient intake that meets the needs of nearly all (97-98%) healthy people in a particular life stage and gender group; calculated from EARs.
• AI (Adequate Intakes): Used when scientific data is insufficient; a recommended daily nutrient intake level based on observations from healthy people.
• EAR (Estimated Average Requirement): Average daily intake estimated to meet the requirements of half the healthy individuals in a particular life stage and gender group.

Intake Recommendations

• Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL): Highest recommended daily intake a particular life stage and gender group can have without risk of toxicity.
• Chronic Disease Risk Reduction (CDRR): A new DRI category for chronic disease prevention.
• Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDR): Percentage ranges of carbohydrate, fat and protein are appropriate for daily caloric intakes to reduce chronic disease risk.

Daily Values (DV)

• Nutrient references used on food labels, menus and websites
• Allow comparisons across foods regarding nutrient content.

Nutrient Intake and Health

• Excessive nutrient intake and insufficient intake can both negatively impact health.
• DRIs provide a safe range for consumption to help prevent chronic illnesses.

Additional Information

• Intake varies by nutrient and by individual, determined by factors like age and health status
• DRIs are important tools allowing for planning and assessments of appropriate dietary intake.
• Individuals should consult appropriate tables to identify their specific nutrient requirements.