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How well recommended are the recommended dietary allowances?
Journal of the American Dietetic Association
|November 1, 1977
Summary
Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) guide diet planning and assess nutritional adequacy. However, meeting RDAs for certain nutrients like calcium, thiamin, and iron can be challenging for specific populations, and some nutrient needs remain unknown.
Area of Science:
- Nutrition Science
- Public Health Nutrition
- Dietary Guidelines
Background:
- Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) are established for planning diets and evaluating nutritional adequacy.
- Individual and population variations necessitate safety margins in RDAs, leading to potential over- or under-estimation of needs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the utility and limitations of Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs).
- To identify specific population groups and nutrients where current RDAs may be difficult to meet or are inadequately defined.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of existing dietary intake surveys and nutritional data.
- Comparison of reported nutrient intakes against established RDAs for various demographic groups.
Main Results:
- Intakes of vitamin A and protein often exceed RDAs.
- Calcium and thiamin intakes are frequently insufficient in older women.
- Iron intake is challenging for teenage boys and women of reproductive age.
- Data limitations prevent setting RDAs for certain essential trace elements.
Conclusions:
- RDAs are valuable but not infallible tools for nutritional assessment.
- Specific nutrients and population groups present challenges in meeting recommended intake levels.
- Further research is needed to define requirements for all essential nutrients and refine RDAs.