Dietary reference intakes: energy, proteins, fats, and digestible carbohydrates

In 1992, the former Food and Nutrition Council of the Netherlands published dietary reference intakes. These were primarily aimed at the prevention of deficiency symptoms. In recent years, increasing numbers of studies have shown that certain nutrients can help to prevent chronic diseases. Partly as a result of this, it became necessary to review the dietary reference intakes. The Health Council’s Committee on Dietary Reference Intakes, which is charged with this task, sets out its findings in a series of recommendations. The first recommendation, containing the dietary reference intakes for calcium, vitamin D, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and biotin, was published in July 2000. The present recommendation, the second in the series, contains the dietary reference intakes for energy, as well as for proteins, fats and digestible carbohydrates (the so-called macronutrients). These are the substances in the diet that provide energy, and for which the body has a physiological requirement. Although alcohol also supplies energy, it has not been included in this recommendation. The link between energy and the macronutrients is expressed in many dietary reference intakes, by describing nutrients in terms of energy percentage. This is the nutrient’s contribution as a percentage of the total energy intake.

Committee

• Dr HKA Visser, physician, Emeritus Professor of Paediatrics; Erasmus University, Rotterdam, chairman
• Dr H van den Berg, biochemist/nutritional scientist; TNO Nutrition and Food Research Institute, Zeist
• BC Breedveld, nutritional scientist; Netherlands Nutrition Centre, The Hague
• Dr EJM Feskens, nutritional scientist/epidemiologist; National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection, Bilthoven, committee member until January 2000
• Dr WHM Saris, physician, Professor of Human Nutrition; University of Maastricht
• Dr HP Sauerwein, physician, Professor in Energy Metabolism; University of Amsterdam
• Dr G Schaafsma, nutritional scientist, TNO Nutrition and Food Research Institute, Zeist; Professor of Nutrition; Wageningen University and Research Centre
• Dr WA van Staveren, nutritional scientist, Professor of Nutrition in the Elderly; Wageningen University and Research Centre
• Dr CE West, biochemist/nutritional scientist; Wageningen University and Research Centre, also Professor of Nutrition in Relation to Health and Disease; Nijmegen University
• Dr JA Weststrate, nutritional scientist; Unilever, Vlaardingen
• W Bosman, Health Council, The Hague, consultant
• Dr CJK Spaaij, Health Council, The Hague, secretary

This recommendation was prepared by a working group consisting of

committee members

• Dr WHM Saris, chairman
• BC Breedveld
• Dr E Feskens, member untill January 2000
• Dr HP Sauerwein
• Dr G Schaafsma
• Dr JA Weststrate
• W Bosman, consultant

external experts

• Dr PA van den Brandt, nutritional scientist/epidemiologist, Professor of Epidemiology; University of Maastricht
• Dr RJ Heine, physician, Professor on Diabetologia; Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam
• Dr RP Mensink, nutritional scientist, Professor of Molecular Nutrition, with particular emphasis on lipid metabolism; University of Maastricht
• Dr JC Seidell, nutritional scientist, Professor of Human Nutrition, with particular emphasis on the epidemiological aspects; Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam
• Dr P van ’t Veer, nutritional scientist/epidemiologist, Wageningen University and Research Centre
• Dr PL Zock, nutritional scientist, Wageningen Centre for Food Sciences

secretaries

• Dr M Visser, January - May 1998
• Dr MC Ocké, May 1998 - December 1999
• Dr LTJ Pijls, January - December 2000
• Dr CJK Spaaij, January 2000 - July 2001