Dietary reference intakes (DRI)
Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) are a comprehensive set of nutrient reference values established to guide individuals in planning balanced and nutritious diets. Developed by the Food and Nutrition Board of the US National Academies in the 1990s, the DRIs replaced earlier guidelines like the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) and Canada’s Recommended Nutrient Intakes (RNIs). The DRIs consist of four key components: Estimated Average Requirement (EAR), Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), Adequate Intake (AI), and Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL). The RDA signifies the daily nutrient intake sufficient for nearly all healthy individuals in a specific demographic, while the EAR serves as a baseline, meeting the needs of half of the population. The AI is used when data is insufficient for calculating an RDA, indicating areas where further research is necessary. The UL marks the upper threshold of nutrient intake that is unlikely to pose health risks. With ongoing updates to nutritional guidelines, including those affecting nutrition labels, the DRIs continue to play a vital role in public health, guiding both individual dietary choices and broader food policy.
Dietary reference intakes (DRI)
Biology
Anatomy or system affected: All
Definition: The official US and Canadian guidelines for nutrient intakes in order to maintain health
Development
The Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) are a set of four reference values developed by the Food and Nutrition Board of the US National Academies' Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine) in the 1990s in order to help individuals plan a healthy and nutritious diet. The DRIs were created in order to replace both the United States' Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) and Canada's Recommended Nutrient Intakes (RNIs), the previous nutrition and food guidelines for their respective countries.
The four values that make up the DRIs are estimated average requirement (EAR), recommended dietary allowance (RDA), adequate intake (AI), and tolerable upper intake level (UL). The RDA is the average daily amount of a nutrient that is estimated to meet the needs of nearly all healthy members of a given age and gender demographic. To calculate the RDA, an EAR must first be determined. The EAR is the median daily amount of a specific nutrient that is believed to meet the needs of half of the healthy individuals in a given age and gender demographic. Using the assumption of a normal distribution of nutrient needs, the RDA is calculated from the EAR and the standard deviation of requirements. When data are insufficient to calculate an EAR, and therefore an RDA, the available data are used to estimate an AI. The AI is similar to the RDA but acknowledges that additional research concerning nutrient requirements is needed in that area. The UL represents the highest daily intake of a nutrient that is known to pose no health risk for nearly all members of a demographic group.
The EAR, RDA, and AI cannot be used to address the needs of those with chronic or acute disease. It can be assumed that intakes below the EAR probably need to be improved, since at this level 50 percent of the population would have inadequate intake. Intakes between the EAR and the RDA for a specific nutrient also may need to be improved; however, Jennifer J. Otten and colleagues note in the Institute of Medicine's 2006 overview of DRIs that, "because [the RDA] falls above the requirements of most people, intakes below the RDA cannot be assessed as being inadequate. Usual intake at the RDA should have a low probability of inadequacy." It is more difficult to be certain of the adequacy of intake when using AIs. However, in general, intakes below the AIs should probably be improved. Intakes at or above the UL should be lowered.
Nutrients for which EARs and RDAs have been established include phosphorus, magnesium, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin A, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium for adults and children over one year of age. Calcium and vitamin D were initially only given AIs, but updated guidelines were issued in 2011 establishing EAR and RDA values for both for adults and children over one year of age. (For most nutrients, data regarding infants under one year of age are insufficient to calculate more than an AI.) Nutrients for which only an AI has been set include fluoride, pantothenic acid, biotin, and choline.
Perspective and Prospects
For nearly two decades after these reference values were first issued, they were not used for labeling and fortification guidelines in the United States. The percent daily values (%DVs) indicated on nutrition facts labels, first established by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1973, were based on RDA values in effect in 1968 and were not updated even as the RDAs were later revised. In 2016, however, the FDA issued updated guidelines for nutrition facts labels, which included recalculated %DVs based on the DRIs. Manufacturers were given until July 26, 2018, to begin using the new label format and %DVs.
The first RDA guidelines were released in 1941 in the United States, shortly after the first dietary standards were issued in Canada, in 1939. Much research has occurred since that time concerning recording and assessing nutrient intake and in determining human requirements. The intended use of these guidelines has always been to assist in planning meals for individuals and groups, including federal assistance programs. In the early 2000s, the emphasis on DRIs was demonstrated by its focus on reports centered on nutrient groups such as B vitamins and antioxidants and principles for nutrition labeling. By the end of the decade, this had shifted to a prioritization on vitamin D and calcium. For the next ten years, notable actions among the U.S. and Canadian governments were reorganizing the nutrient nominations process to enhance new DRI reviews. In the latter-part of the 2010s new looks were done on the impacts of sodium and potassium on diets. In 2023, new updated DEI values were created for energy.
Bibliography
"Changes to the Nutrition Facts Label." US Food and Drug Administration, 6 Mar. 2017, www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm385663.htm. Accessed 13 Mar. 2017.
"The Development of the Dietary Reference Intakes." Health Canada, 29 Nov. 2010, www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/reference/dri‗dev-elab‗anref-eng.php. Accessed 15 Mar. 2017.
"Dietary Reference Intakes Tables and Application." The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 4 Nov. 2016, nationalacademies.org/hmd/activities/nutrition/summarydris/dri-tables.aspx. Accessed 13 Mar. 2017.
"Dietary Reference Intakes Development." health.gov, 18 Jan. 2023, health.gov/our-work/nutrition-physical-activity/dietary-guidelines/dietary-reference-intakes/dietary-reference-intakes-development. Accessed 8 Aug. 2023.
"Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy." National Library of Medicine, 17 Jan. 2023, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36693139. Accessed 8 Aug. 2023.
Insel, Paul, et al. Discovering Nutrition. 5th ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2016.
Otten, Jennifer J., et al., editors. Dietary Reference Intakes: The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements. National Academies Press, 2006. The National Academies Press, www.nap.edu/catalog/11537/dietary-reference-intakes-the-essential-guide-to-nutrient-requirements. Accessed 13 Mar. 2017.
"Projects Related to Dietary Guidelines." Dietary Guidelines for Americans, www.dietaryguidelines.gov/related-projects. Accessed 8 Aug. 2023.
Ross, A. Catharine, et al., editors. Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D. National Academies Press, 2011. The National Academies Press, www.nap.edu/catalog/13050/dietary-reference-intakes-for-calcium-and-vitamin-d. Accessed 13 Mar. 2017.