What are daily intake amount set for nutrients for which there are insufficient research data to establish an EAR?

What are DRVs used for?

DRVs are key concepts in the field of nutrition. They provide the scientific basis on which nutrition recommendations are built. They are used by nutrition and health professionals in dietary assessment and diet planning, at population and individual level. They can serve as the basis for risk managers or policy makers to set reference values in food labelling and establish food-based dietary guidelines. They are also helpful to food manufacturers for product formulation and to scientists involved in nutrition research.

What is the methodology for setting DRVs?

The Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) – EFSA’s predecessor – issued guidelines for the development of tolerable upper intake levels (ULs) for vitamins and minerals. These guidelines outline general principles which served as the basis for the evaluation of the adverse effects of micronutrients on humans and the setting of ULs carried out by the SCF and EFSA’s Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA). The NDA Panel reviewed the guidelines in 2021 and will finalise them following a pilot phase on ongoing assessments. 

For DRVs other than ULs, EFSA’s framework is based on an opinion on the principles for deriving and applying dietary reference values. It provides the terminology and definitions and explains the methods and data used to derive DRVs. It also provides guiding principles for applying DRVs.

The criteria on which EFSA’s DRVs are based are described in each scientific opinion.

Why are there different types of value to express nutrient requirements?

The requirement for a nutrient varies across individuals. The average requirement (AR) and the population reference intake (PRI) describe the distribution of requirements in a population. These give the intake of a nutrient that meets the daily needs of, respectively, half or most (97.5%) of the people in the population. On the assumption that the individual requirements for a nutrient are normally distributed within a population, the PRI is calculated as the AR plus twice its standard deviation (SD). In practice, the SD is seldom known and a default coefficient of variation is assumed for the derivation of PRIs. If the AR for a nutrient cannot be determined, no PRI can be derived.

When there is insufficient scientific evidence to determine the AR (and PRI), two other values – adequate intake (AI) and reference intake ranges for macronutrients (RI) – can be proposed.

An AI is the level of intake that is assumed to be sufficient based on observations from groups of apparently healthy people. It involves more judgement than is used for determining an AR or PRI. The practical implication of an AI is similar to that of a PRI i.e. to describe the level of intake of a nutrient that is considered adequate for good health. The distinction in the terms relates primarily to the different scientific basis on which they rest.

RIs are typically set for total fat and total carbohydrates based on their relative contribution to total energy intake. They indicate the range of intakes of an energy source that is adequate for maintaining health.

The type of value, and the criteria used, is decided on a case-by-case basis for each nutrient, depending on the available data.

Are DRVs applicable to individuals suffering from diseases?

DRVs are intended for healthy people. Those who suffer from diseases may have different needs. Health professionals provide guidance to individuals or groups with specific needs.

How are target populations defined?

DRVs are developed for different population groups. The choice of groups is based on differences in nutrient requirements related to speed of growth, change in endocrine status, such as in puberty, and differences in nutrient absorption or body functions, such as renal function. Specific needs during pregnancy and lactation are also considered. Hence, DRVs are developed for different life-stages and gender groups, and for different age ranges. For each nutrient, the target populations are set on a case-by-case basis, depending on the available data.

Why are DRVs not set for infants in their first half year of life?

For infants below 6 months, nutritional requirements are generally considered to be equal to the supply from breast milk, so no DRVs have been set by EFSA for this group. However, infants in their first half year may have specific nutritional requirements, which are addressed by national public health policies.

What is the difference between DRVs and nutrient goals and recommendations?

DRVs should not be viewed as recommendations for individuals. Rather, DRVs are scientific references for professionals, who use them when setting nutrient goals for populations or recommendations for individuals. Nutrient goals and recommendations are tailored to national contexts (e.g. public health priorities, nutritional status, dietary patterns, composition of available foods) and may therefore differ from country to country. The setting of nutrition goals and recommendations is outside EFSA’s remit.

Where can I find EFSA’s scientific opinions on DRVs?

ULs for vitamins and minerals published before 2005 have been compiled in a single report. Scientific opinions on ULs issued since then are published in the EFSA Journal. An overview table of all UL values is available for quick reference.

The full scientific opinions on DRVs for energy, water, macronutrients and dietary fibre, and for micronutrients (excepts ULs) have been compiled in a special issue of the EFSA Journal.

All DRVs values, including ULs, can also be easily retrieved through the DRVs Finder.

Where can I find EFSA’s food composition and food consumption data?

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