safety and efficacy exist, reduction in the risk of chronic degenerative disease—rather than just the absence of signs of deficiency—is included in the formulation of the recommendation; (2) where data are adequate, upper levels of intake are established to prevent risk of adverse effects; and (3) components of food that may not fit the traditional concept of an essential nutrient but are of possible benefit to health will be reviewed and if sufficient data exist, reference intakes will be established.

Where adequate information is available, each nutrient will have a set of DRIs. A nutrient will have either an Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) and RDA, or an Adequate Intake (AI). When an EAR for the nutrient cannot be determined (and therefore, neither can the RDA), then an AI is provided for the nutrient. In addition, most nutrients will have a Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL). Like the former RDAs and RNIs, each type of DRI refers to the average daily nutrient intake of apparently healthy individuals over time, although the amount may vary substantially from day to day without ill effect in most cases.

In developing recommended intakes, emphasis is placed on the reasons underlying the particular criterion of adequacy used to establish the requirement for each nutrient. A table of the recommended daily intakes developed using the DRI process, at the time this report was printed, can be found at the end of this book.

The EAR¹ is the median usual intake value that is estimated to meet the requirement of half the healthy individuals in a life stage and gender group. At this level of intake, the other half of the individuals in the specified group would not have their needs met. The EAR is based on a specific criterion of adequacy, derived from a careful review of the literature. Reduction of disease risk is considered along with many other health parameters in the selection of that criterion. The EAR is used to calculate the RDA.

Front Matter (R1-R14)

Contents (R15-R18)

Summary (1-18)

I. Historical Perspective and Background (19-20)

1 Introduction and Background (21-28)

2 Current Uses of Dietary Reference Standards (29-42)

II. Application of DRIs for Individual Diet Assessment (43-44)

3 Using Dietary Reference Intakes for Nutrient Assessment of Individuals (45-70)

III. Application of DRIs for Group Diet Assessment (71-72)

4 Using the Estimated Average Requirement for Nutrient Assessment of Groups (73-105)

5 Using the Adequate Intake for Nutrient Assessment of Groups (106-112)

6 Using the Tolerable Upper Intake Level for Nutrient Assessment of Groups (113-126)

7 Specific Applications: Assessing Nutrient Intakes of Groups Using the Dietary Reference Intakes (127-144)

IV. Fine-Tuning Dietary Assessment Using the DRIs (145-146)

8 Minimizing Potential Errors in Assessing Group and Individual Intakes (147-161)

9 Research Recommended to Improve the Uses of Dietary Reference Intakes (162-167)

10 References (168-178)

Appendix A: Origin and Framework of the Development of Dietary Reference Intakes (179-184)

Appendix B: Nutrient Assessment of Individuals: Statistical Foundations (185-202)

Appendix C: Assessing Prevalence of Inadequate Intakes for Groups: Statistical Foundations (203-210)

Appendix D: Assessing the Performance of the EAR Cut-Point Method for Estimating Prevalence (211-231)

Appendix E: Units of Observation: Assessing Nutrient Adequacy Using Household and Population Data (232-238)

Appendix F: Rationale for Setting Adequate Intakes (239-253)

Appendix G: Glossary and Abbreviations (254-261)

Appendix H: Biographical Sketches of Subcommittee Members (262-266)

Index (267-281)

Summary Table: Estimated Average Requirements (282-283)

Summary Table: Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (284-286)

Summary Table: Recommended Intakes for Individuals (287-289)