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The nutritional requirements of infants. Towards EU alignment of reference values: the EURRECA network

Maria Hermoso1, Garden Tabacchi, Iris Iglesia-Altaba

  • 1Division of Metabolic Diseases and Nutritional Medicine, Dr von Hauner Children's Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Munich, Germany. maria.hermoso@med.uni-muenchen.de

Maternal & Child Nutrition
|February 3, 2012
PubMed

Insights

This review examines infant nutrient needs and European reference values, highlighting key disparities in micronutrient requirements for infants. Understanding these differences is crucial for standardizing infant nutrition guidelines across Europe.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nutrition
  • Nutritional Biochemistry

Background:

  • Infant nutrition is critical for development.
  • Variability exists in European micronutrient reference values for infants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Review current knowledge on infant macro- and micronutrient requirements.
  • Analyze disparities in European micronutrient reference values for infants.
  • Inform initiatives for standardized European infant nutrition guidelines.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of infant nutrient requirements.
  • Analysis of reference values from seven European and international committees.
  • Identification of factors contributing to value disparities.

Main Results:

  • Current knowledge on infant nutrient needs is synthesized.
  • Methodological approaches for deriving reference values are examined.
  • Key issues causing disparities in micronutrient values are identified.

Conclusions:

  • Variability in infant micronutrient reference values across Europe is significant.
  • Understanding physiological aspects of infants is key to addressing disparities.
  • Standardized approaches are needed to harmonize infant nutrition recommendations.

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