Impact of the new Dietary Reference Intakes on nutrient calculation programs

The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine has recently set Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) for most of the essential vitamins and minerals, and DRIs for the macronutrients will be available shortly. In addition to impacting the data carried in nutrient databases, these new recommendations also have implications for the design of nutrient calculation programs. Several new ways of evaluating the adequacy of intakes have been recommended by the Subcommittee on Uses and Interpretation of the DRIs. For example, a probability approach to assessing the adequacy of an individualʹs diet allows a calculation of the confidence that a personʹs intake meets its requirement for a nutrient. Similar approaches may be used to calculate the likelihood that intake exceeds the Adequate Intake or the Tolerable Upper Intake Level. Although these calculations are not complex, incorporation into nutrient calculation programs will facilitate their use by practitioners who perform dietary evaluations for their patients and clients.