Recommended intake levels for nutrients and other dietary components were designed initially to prevent nutrient deficiency diseases in a given population, and the original methodological approach used to derive intake values did not include consideration for other applications. However, with the increasing globalization of information and the identification of a variety of factors specific to different population subgroups (e.g., young children and women of reproductive age) that influence their nutritional needs, there has been increasing recognition of the need to consider methodological approaches to deriving nutrient reference values (NRVs) that are applicable across countries and that take into account the varying needs of different population subgroups.

There is a need for guidance and recommendations about methodological approaches, as well as their potential for application to an international process for the development of NRVs, and particularly for young children and women of reproductive age. Harmonization of Approaches to Nutrient Reference Values: Applications to Young Children and Women of Reproductive Age examines these issues and makes recommendations for a unified approach to developing NRVs that would be acceptable globally.

Contents

• The National Academies of SCIENCES • ENGINEERING • MEDICINE
• COMMITTEE ON THE APPLICATION OF GLOBAL HARMONIZATION OF METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO NUTRIENT INTAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR YOUNG CHILDREN AND WOMEN OF REPRODUCTIVE AGE
• Reviewers
• Preface
• Acronyms and Abbreviations
• Summary
  • STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
  • THE COMMITTEE'S TASK
  • KEY FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS
  • ASSESSMENT OF EXEMPLAR NUTRIENTS
  • CONCLUSION AND NEXT STEPS
• 1. Introduction and Problem Statement
  • BACKGROUND FOR THE STUDY
  • THE COMMITTEE'S TASK
  • THE STUDY PROCESS
  • ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT
  • REFERENCES
• 2. Conceptual Foundations of Nutrient Reference Value Development
  • BACKGROUND
  • NUTRIENT REFERENCE VALUES
  • GUIDING PRINCIPLES IN SETTING NUTRIENT REFERENCE VALUES
  • CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
  • REFERENCES
• 3. A Harmonized Process for Nutrient Reference Value Development
  • KEY STEPS IN THE PROCESS FOR DERIVING NUTRIENT REFERENCE VALUES
  • OTHER UNCERTAINTIES TO CONSIDER WHEN ESTIMATING A UL
  • A FRAMEWORK FOR DERIVING NUTRIENT REFERENCE VALUES
  • FINDINGS, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATION
  • CHAPTER SUMMARY
  • REFERENCES
• 4. Applying Methodological Approaches to Nutrient Reference Values for Young Children and Women of Reproductive Age: An Assessment of Exemplar Nutrients
  • HARMONIZING THE PROCESS FOR NUTRIENT REFERENCE VALUES USING EXEMPLAR NUTRIENTS
  • ZINC CASE ANALYSIS
  • FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS FOR ZINC
  • PROPOSED SOLUTIONS FOR ZINC
  • IRON CASE ANALYSIS
  • FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS FOR IRON
  • PROPOSED SOLUTIONS FOR IRON
  • FOLATE CASE ANALYSIS
  • FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS FOR FOLATE
  • PROPOSED SOLUTIONS FOR FOLATE
  • OVERALL CONCLUSION
  • APPLICATIONS OF NUTRIENT REFERENCE VALUES IN LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES
  • REFERENCES
• 5. Future Directions and Data Gaps
  • ADVANTAGES OF HARMONIZING METHODOLOGIES TO DERIVE NUTRIENT REFERENCE VALUES
  • STEPS REQUIRED TO ENCOURAGE COMMITMENT TO THE GUIDELINES
  • MOVING FORWARD TOWARD HARMONIZATION
  • REFERENCES
• APPENDIXES
  • Appendix A. Glossary
  • Appendix B. Workshop Agenda
  • Appendix C. AGREE II Instrument
  • Appendix D. Tools and Methods to Evaluate the Risk of Bias in Individual Studies
  • Appendix E. Scaling Methods to Extrapolate from Reference Values of One Age Group to Another
  • Appendix F. European Food Safety Authority's Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for Protein: Growth Factors for Children Age 6 Months to 17 Years
  • Appendix G. Committee Member Biographies

Suggested citation:

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Harmonization of approaches to nutrient reference values: Applications to young children and women of reproductive age. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: https://doi.org/10.17226/25148.