A balanced diet is one that provides adequate amounts of various nutrients to maintain health and well-being. Protein A type of molecule composed of complex strings of amino acids (protein building blocks), carbohydrate, fat, vitamins, minerals and water are all nutrients. Each nutrient An element or compound needed for normal growth, development and health maintenance. Essential nutrients cannot be made by the body and must, therefore, be consumed from food has a particular function in the human body. The amount of each individual nutrient needed to maintain an individual’s health is called the nutrient requirement. Nutrient requirements vary depending on age and gender. Level of physical activity, physiological status (such as pregnancy), dietary habits and genetic background are also important factors.
Dietary reference values (DRVs) is an umbrella term for a set of nutrient reference values that includes the average requirement The level of a nutrient in the diet that meets the daily needs of half the people in a typical healthy population ( AR The average requirement (AR) is the level of a nutrient in the diet that meets the daily needs of half the people in a typical healthy population), the population reference intake The intake of a nutrient that is likely to meet the needs of almost all healthy people in a population ( PRI The intake of a nutrient that is likely to meet the needs of almost all healthy people in a population. It stands for population reference intake), the adequate intake A dietary recommendation used when there isn't enough data to calculate an average requirement. An adequate intake is the average nutrient level consumed daily by a typical healthy population thatis assumed to be adequate for the population's needs ( AI The adequate intake (AI) is a dietary recommendation used when there isn't enough data to calculate an Average Requirement. An AI is the average nutrient level consumed daily by a typical healthy population which is assumed to be adequate for the population's needs) and the reference intake The amount of a substance (e.g. nutrient or chemical) that is ingested by a person or animal via the diet range for macronutrients (RI). These values guide professionals on the amount of a nutrient needed to maintain health in an otherwise healthy individual or group of people. DRVs also include the tolerable upper intake level The maximum intake of substances in food, such as nutrients or contaminants, that can be consumed daily over a lifetime without adverse health effects (UL), which is the maximum amount of a nutrient that can be consumed safely over a long period of time.
DRVs are not nutrient goals or recommendations for individuals (see FAQs). They are used by policy makers in the EU and its Member States to issue recommendations on nutrient intake to consumers. DRVs are also used as the basis for information on food labels and for establishing dietary guidelines. Such guidelines can help consumers make healthy dietary choices.
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.
EFSA's role
EFSA gives independent scientific advice on nutrient intakes to EU risk managers and policy makers. Our advice provides an important evidence base to underpin nutritional policies, the setting of diet-related public health targets and the development of consumer information and educational programmes on healthy diets. Importantly, it is not our role to establish nutrition goals for populations or recommendations for individuals. Our scientific advice supports policy makers at national and EU level and health professionals who are responsible for this work.
In 2005, the European Commission asked EFSA to review and update the dietary reference values for nutrient and energy intakes established in 1993 by the Scientific Committee on Food (EFSA’s precursor). EFSA’s Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA Panel) laid the foundations for the task in a 2010 scientific opinion on the general principles for deriving and applying DRVs. The NDA Panel completed this work in 2019, producing a total of 34 scientific opinions that recommend DRVs for water, fats, carbohydrates and dietary fibre, protein, energy, as well as 14 vitamins and 15 minerals.
In addition, our scientists provide advice on the setting of tolerable upper levels of intake (UL) for vitamins and minerals (UL summary report). These values represent the highest daily intake of a nutrient over a lifetime that is unlikely to cause adverse health effects in humans. ULs are also used as a reference in EFSA's evaluations of the safety of nutrient sources added tofood supplements.
EFSA receives ad hoc requests from the European Commission or Member States to review ULs for nutrients and completed assessments includevitamin D in infants and dietary sugars. Re-evaluations of existing ULs for vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin D, vitamin E, beta-carotene, iron, manganese, folate/folic acid, and selenium are scheduled for completion in 2023 or thereafter.
