The revised Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for Indians, being drafted by the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), a premier research institute under Indian Council of Medical Research, for the first time proposes use of Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) and Tolerable Upper Limit (TUL).
Until now, a single value, RDA was used for all nutrients.
Over the years the nutrient requirements have evolved so that they can be specifically used for individuals or populations, ICMR-NIN Director Hemalatha R said.
The present recommendations propose the use of the EAR for evaluating population nutrient intake and the RDA for setting the safe nutrient intake for an individual, she explained.
"We have generated new information as far as calorie and protein requirement is concerned. In the earlier RDAs they did not calculate for EAR. This time we are attempting that. The present RDA is also going to include TUL," she told PTI.
Now the government is planning fortification of some foods with nutrients and therefore, the TUL of intake for nutrients has also been defined, she said.
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On the need for revision of RDA, Hemalatha said over the past decade dietary patterns have changed with economic and nutrition transition occurring.
Nutrient requirements have to be reviewed with respect to recent data on energy expenditure, protein metabolism and in case of minerals and vitamins data on losses and absorption need to be explored to derive EAR and RDA, according to her.
The previous revision of RDA was done in 2011. By the end of 2019, the revised RDA will be brought out, she said.
"The earlier RDAs are under review and now the chapters have been sent for expert reviews and once the recommendations are ready they will be finalised and published," Hemalatha said.
For pregnant women energy requirement, data from a study on macronutrient intake and body composition (in pregnant women) based on whole body potassium counter is proposed to be used, she said.
The to-be-revised RDA proposes different energy requirement during non-occupational activities among sedentary category and the moderate and heavy activity categories.
It also proposes to take into consideration the holidays in the case of individual workers and non-agriculture slack season in case of rural workers. During such periods the energy expenditure would more appropriately correspond to sedentary activity.
The earlier Committee had applied a protein digestibility amino acid score (PDCAAS) correction to the safe protein intake for all the age groups. A new protein quality index, digestible indispensable amino acid score (DIAAS), has been introduced in the current document which is based on true ileal digestibility of individual amino acids.
"The current RDA is going to DIAAS which is based on true ileal digestibility of individual amino acids.The present RDA will adopt this procedure and recalculate the protein requirement and based on high quality protein," Hemalatha explained.
Milk and milk product consumption as a source of high-quality protein has been encouraged by the present committee while planning the diets, she added.