This volume is the newest release in the authoritative series of quantitative estimates of nutrient intakes to be used for planning and assessing diets for healthy people. Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) is the newest framework for an expanded approach developed by U.S. and Canadian scientists.

This book discusses in detail the role of vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, and the carotenoids in human physiology and health. For each nutrient the committee presents what is known about how it functions in the human body, which factors may affect how it works, and how the nutrient may be related to chronic disease.

Dietary Reference Intakes provides reference intakes, such as Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs), for use in planning nutritionally adequate diets for different groups based on age and gender, along with a new reference intake, the Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL), designed to assist an individual in knowing how much is "too much" of a nutrient.

Contents

• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
• PANEL ON DIETARY ANTIOXIDANTS AND RELATED COMPOUNDS
• SUBCOMMITTEE ON UPPER REFERENCE LEVELS OF NUTRIENTS
• SUBCOMMITTEE ON INTERPRETATION AND USES OF DIETARY REFERENCE INTAKES
• STANDING COMMITTEE ON THE SCIENTIFIC EVALUATION OF DIETARY REFERENCE INTAKES
• FOOD AND NUTRITION BOARD
• Preface
• Summary
  • WHAT ARE DIETARY REFERENCE INTAKES?
  • APPROACH FOR SETTING DIETARY REFERENCE INTAKES
  • NUTRIENT FUNCTIONS AND THE INDICATORS USED TO ESTIMATE REQUIREMENTS FOR VITAMIN C, VITAMIN E, SELENIUM, AND THE CAROTENOIDS
  • CRITERIA AND PROPOSED VALUES FOR TOLERABLE UPPER INTAKE LEVELS
  • USING DIETARY REFERENCE INTAKES
  • DEFINITION OF A DIETARY ANTIOXIDANT
  • EVIDENCE OF OXIDATIVE STRESS AND THE RISK OF CHRONIC DEGENERATIVE DISEASE
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
• 1. Introduction to Dietary Reference Intakes
  • WHAT ARE DIETARY REFERENCE INTAKES?
  • CATEGORIES OF DIETARY REFERENCE INTAKES
  • PARAMETERS FOR DIETARY REFERENCE INTAKES
  • SUMMARY
  • REFERENCES
• 2. Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and β-Carotene and Other Carotenoids: Overview, Antioxidant Definition, and Relationship to Chronic Disease
  • OVERVIEW
  • DEFINITION AND CRITERIA FOR A DIETARY ANTIOXIDANT
  • OXIDATIVE STRESS, ANTIOXIDANTS, AND CHRONIC DISEASE
  • CONCLUSIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 3. Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and β-Carotene and Other Carotenoids: Methods
  • METHODOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS
  • ESTIMATES OF LABORATORY VALUES
  • NUTRIENT INTAKE ESTIMATES
  • DIETARY INTAKES IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA
  • SUMMARY
  • REFERENCES
• 4. A Model for the Development of Tolerable Upper Intake Levels for Nutrients
  • BACKGROUND
  • MODEL FOR DERIVATION OF TOLERABLE UPPER INTAKE LEVELS
  • RISK ASSESSMENT AND FOOD SAFETY
  • APPLICATION OF THE RISK ASSESSMENT MODEL TO NUTRIENTS
  • STEPS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF TOLERABLE UPPER INTAKE LEVELS
  • INTAKE ASSESSMENT
  • RISK CHARACTERIZATION
  • REFERENCES
• 5. Vitamin C
  • SUMMARY
  • BACKGROUND INFORMATION
  • SELECTION OF INDICATORS FOR ESTIMATING THE REQUIREMENT FOR VITAMIN C
  • FACTORS AFFECTING THE VITAMIN C REQUIREMENT
  • FINDINGS BY LIFE STAGE AND GENDER GROUP
  • INTAKE OF VITAMIN C
  • TOLERABLE UPPER INTAKE LEVELS
  • RESEARCH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR VITAMIN C
  • REFERENCES
• 6. Vitamin E
  • SUMMARY
  • BACKGROUND INFORMATION
  • SELECTION OF INDICATORS FOR ESTIMATING THE REQUIREMENT FOR α-TOCOPHEROL
  • FACTORS AFFECTING THE VITAMIN E REQUIREMENT
  • FINDINGS BY LIFE STAGE AND GENDER GROUP
  • INTAKE OF VITAMIN E
  • TOLERABLE UPPER INTAKE LEVELS
  • RESEARCH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR VITAMIN E
  • REFERENCES
• 7. Selenium
  • SUMMARY
  • BACKGROUND INFORMATION
  • SELECTION OF INDICATORS FOR ESTIMATING THE REQUIREMENT FOR SELENIUM
  • FACTORS AFFECTING THE SELENIUM REQUIREMENT
  • FINDINGS BY LIFE STAGE AND GENDER GROUP
  • INTAKE OF SELENIUM
  • TOLERABLE UPPER INTAKE LEVELS
  • RESEARCH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SELENIUM
  • REFERENCES
• 8. β-Carotene and Other Carotenoids
  • SUMMARY
  • BACKGROUND INFORMATION
  • SELECTION OF POSSIBLE INDICATORS FOR ESTIMATING THE REQUIREMENT FOR β-CAROTENE AND OTHER CAROTENOIDS
  • FACTORS AFFECTING CAROTENOID BIOAVAILABILITY
  • FINDINGS BY LIFE STAGE AND GENDER GROUP
  • INTAKE OF CAROTENOIDS
  • TOLERABLE UPPER INTAKE LEVELS
  • RESEARCH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR β-CAROTENE AND OTHER CAROTENOIDS
  • REFERENCES
• 9. Uses of Dietary Reference Intakes
  • OVERVIEW
  • ASSESSING NUTRIENT INTAKES OF INDIVIDUALS
  • ASSESSING NUTRIENT INTAKES OF GROUPS
  • PLANNING NUTRIENT INTAKES OF INDIVIDUALS
  • PLANNING NUTRIENT INTAKES OF GROUPS
  • NUTRIENT-SPECIFIC CONSIDERATIONS
  • SUMMARY
  • REFERENCES
• 10. A Research Agenda
  • APPROACH
  • MAJOR KNOWLEDGE GAPS
  • THE RESEARCH AGENDA
• A Origin and Framework of the Development of Dietary Reference Intakes
• B Acknowledgments
• C Dietary Intake Data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), 1988–1994
• D Dietary Intake Data from the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII), 1994–1996
• E Canadian Dietary Intake Data, 1993, 1995
• F Serum Values from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), 1988–1994
• G Options for Dealing with Uncertainties
• H Glossary and Acronyms
• I Biographical Sketches of Panel and Subcommittee Members
• FOOD AND NUTRITION BOARD, INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE-NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES DIETARY REFERENCE INTAKES: RECOMMENDED INTAKES FOR INDIVIDUALS

This project was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Contract No. 282-96-0033; Health Canada; the Institute of Medicine; the Dietary Reference Intakes Private Foundation Fund, including the Dannon Institute and the International Life Sciences Institute; and the Dietary Reference Intakes Corporate Donors' Fund. Contributors to the Fund include Roche Vitamins Inc.; Mead Johnson Nutrition Group; Daiichi Fine Chemicals, Inc.; Kemin Foods, Inc.; M&M Mars; Weider Nutrition Group; Nabisco Foods Group; U.S. Borax; and Natural Source Vitamin E Association. The opinions or conclusions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the funders.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.