RDA and Derivation of RDA

RDA and derivation of RDA.
• Man needs a wide range of nutrients to lead a healthy and

active life and these are derived through the diet he
consumes daily.
• The components of a diet must be chosen judiciously to
provide all the nutrients needed in adequate amounts and
in proper proportions.
• The amount of each nutrient that is required by man
depends upon his age and physiological status.
• Adults need nutrients for maintaining constant body weight
and ensuring proper body function. Infants and young
children require nutrients not only for maintenance but
also for growth.
• They require relatively more nutrients (2-3 times) per
kg body weight than adults.
• In special physiological conditions like pregnancy and
lactation, woman needs additional nutrients to meet
the demands for foetal growth and maternal tissue
expansion and milk secretion.
• The extra intakes of nutrients are essential for the
normal growth of an infant in utero and during the early
postnatal life.
• to maintain good health and physical efficiency, the diet shd
provide adequate amounts for all nutrients.
• allowances for difft nutrients are recommended by various
national and international committees.
• Nutrition expert committees, ICMR, India, Food and Nutrition
Board FNB, Dpt of Health and Social Services,UK, National
Research Council, USA, WHO/FAO etc..
• RDA is periodically revised and updated with newer concepts
concerning human nutrient requirement.
• Its defned as the nutrients present in the diet which
satisfythe daily requirement of nearly all individuals in a
population.
NUTRIENT REQUIREMENTS AND RECOMMENDED DIETARY
ALLOWANCES
• Nutrient requirements are the quantities of nutrients that
healthy individuals must obtain from food to meet their
physiological needs.
• Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) are

estimates of nutrients to be consumed daily to ensure
the requirements of all individuals in a given
population. .
Dietary Allowances (RDA): It is defined as levels of intake
of the essential nutrients that are to be sufficient to meet
the nutrient requirement of nearly all healthy individuals in
a particular life stage and gender group.
 Amount of the nutrient sufficient for the maintenance of

health in nearly all people.
For all nutrients, except energy,
 RDA= minimum requirement + safety margin 
RDA doesn’t apply to sick people.

HISTORY OF RDA

In 1944 by the Nutrition Advisory Committee of Indian
Research Fund Association (IRFA)

now ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research ) 
ICMR Nutrition Advisory Committee revised RDA for
Indians on calories and proteins in 1960
Such a revision and updating of the nutrient

requirement on RDA of Indians was done by Expert
Groups of the ICMR in 1978 and 1988
• RDA include a margin of safety, to cover variation between
Individuals, dietary traditions and practices.
• The recommended dietary allowances are suggested as

averages/day for physiological groups such as infants, pre-
schoolers, adolescents, pregnant women and lactating mothers, and
adult males and females.
• Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA ) is defined as the quantity

of a nutrient present in the diet which satisfies the daily requirement
of nearly all individuals in a population. RDA is also referred to as
Daily Reference Intake (DRI).
FACTORS AFFECTING RDA
• Variability in Nutrient Requirements
• SEX: RDA for men is 20 % higher than women.
• Iron reqt is greater in menstruating women.
• Additional requirements are neede by pregnant and
lactating women [20-30% above normal]
• AGE: In general, the nutrient requirement is much higher in
the growing age.
• Protein requirement for a growing child is 2g/kg bw
compared to 1gm/kg. bw for adults.
PHYSICAL WORK
1.Sedentary
2.Moderate
3.Hard (Heavy)
PHYSIOLOGICAL STRESS
Pregnancy
lactation.
DIETARY FACTORS
• BIOAVAILABILITY: The absorption or bioavailability of
nutrients from a diet varies widely. depg on the nutrient
and quality of the diet.
• certain nutrients like protein, iron, calcium, zinc, b
carotene vit B12.
• absorption of nutrients from plant foods is inferior to that
of foods of animal origin.
• inhibitory factors in plant foods-tannins, phytates,
antitrypsin factors interfere with nutrient absorption.
INTER RELATIONSHIP BTW NUTRIENTS
• The level of intake of one nutrient influences the
requirement of the other.
• certain relationship are well established like calcium and
vit D.
• Precursor Interrelationship- tryptophan n niacin
• Chemical combination/reaction- Vit C and Iron.
• Non competetive relationship-Folic acid n iron
• competetive relationship- zn n cu
• Exchange relationship- Vit E and Selenium
General principles of Deriving RDA
• Dietary Intake: this approach has been used to arrive at
the energy needs of children. Energy intake of normal
growing children is used on the basis of RDA.
• Growth: to define requirements in early infancy, the
breast milk intake of healthy infants or the requirement of
any particular nutrient for satisfactory growth has been
utilised.
• Nutrient Balance: As for a number of other nutrients, to
arrive at the protein requirements the min intake of
nutrient for equillibrium [intake=output] in adults and
nutrient retention consistent with satisfactory growth in
children, have been widely used.
Obligatory loss of nutrients: min loss of nutrients or its
metabolic product through normal routes of elmination. in urine,
feceas and sweat.
it is determined on a diet deoid of or very low in the nutrient.
eg: protein free diet in case of proteins.
determines the amt of nutrient to be consumed daily through the
diet to replace the obligatory loss.
Factorial method: in this method, the needs for various
functions are assessed seperately and added up to assess the
total daily requirements.
Nutrient Turnover: data collected by studying certain nutrients
in healthy persons using isotopically labelled nutrients are used
to determmine their requirements. vit A, C, Iron vit B12 etc
Depletion and repletion studies:
This approach has been employed in arriving at the requirement of
water-soluble vitamins.
The levels of a vitamin or its coenzyme in serum or tissue
(erythrocytes, leucocytes) are used as a biochemical marker of the
vitamin status.
Requirements of ascorbic acid, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and
pyridoxine have been established employing this approach.
The subjects are first fed a diet very low in the nutrient, under
study, till the biochemical parameters reach a low level after
which the response to feeding graded doses of the nutrient is
determined.
The level at which response increases rapidly is an indication of
requirement
WHY RDA IS IMPORTANT?
• National Family Health Survey and UNICEF Reports , 46%
of preschool children and 30% of adults in India suffer from
moderate and severe grades of protein-calorie malnutrition.
• Over 50% women (particularly pregnant women) and
children suffer from iron deficiency anemia (IDA),
• Diseases such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension,
cardiovascular diseases and cancers
• Iodine Deficiency Disease (IDD) has been considerably
reduced after the introduction of universal iodized salt.
RDA FOR INDIANS • ICMR has defined well nourished Indian
adults who had satisfactory growth during childhood.
Scientists have prescribed RDA for adults, depending on the
level of activity of individual.
Sedentary workers: those who sit & work using brain &
hands. Eg: teachers, clerks, typists, officers.
Moderate workers: those who work vigorously for a few
hours using many parts of the body like hands, feet &
muscles. Eg: postman, mali, servant, housewife doing all
household work.
Heavy workers: use different parts of body for several hours.
Eg: rickshaw pullers, coolies, workers in mines, sports person,
masons etc
USES OF RDA 
Establishing guidelines for the national labeling of
packaged foods (by FSSAI). 
Modifying nutrient requirements in clinical
management of diseases. 
To help public health nutritionists to compose diets for
schools, hospitals, prisons etc., 
For establishing Standards for the national feeding
programmes implemented by the Governments.

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RDA and derivation of RDA.

• Man needs a wide range of nutrients to lead a healthy and

• Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) are

 Amount of the nutrient sufficient for the maintenance of

 RDA= minimum requirement + safety margin 

RDA doesn’t apply to sick people.

Such a revision and updating of the nutrient

• The recommended dietary allowances are suggested as

• Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA ) is defined as the quantity

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