Guidelines for Diets with Dietary Reference Intakes
Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010. 7th Edition, U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, December 2015. This publication may be viewed and downloaded from http://www.dietaryguidelines.gov. It notes that eating patterns that include seafood are associated with reduced risk of CVD and obesity. Increased intake of seafood ensures intake of more omega-3 essential fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Such nutrient intake also helps decrease risk for chronic immune-inflammatory diseases and related comorbidities.
Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids (Macronutrients), The National Academies Press. Available at www.nap.edu. Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) is a term for four types of advice. They are described in a report from the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine that can be viewed at the National Academy of Sciences website.
EAR – The Estimated Average Requirement is the nutrient intake estimated to meet the requirement defined by a specified indicator of adequacy in 50 percent of an age- and gender-specific group.
RDA – The Recommended Dietary Allowance is the dietary intake level that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97 to 98 percent) healthy individuals in a particular group.
AI – The Adequate Intake is a recommended intake value based on observed or experimentally determined approximations or estimates of nutrient intake by a group (or groups) of healthy people that are assumed to be adequate.
UL – The Tolerable Upper Intake Level is the highest level of daily nutrient intake that is likely to pose no risk of adverse health effects in the general population. As intake increases above the UL, the risk of adverse effects increases.
The four values above fit evidence on omega-6 intakes in ways that suggest a need for further change in current dietary advice to Americans.
Updated August 2017