University of Massachusetts Amherst Dean Chairs National Academies Committee

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Committee on Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, chaired by Dean Anna Maria Siega-Riz of the UMass Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences, has published its report, Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy.

The Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) are a set of evidence-based nutrient reference intake values for a range of age, sex, and life stage groups that are used in the United States and Canada in planning and assessing diets of individuals and groups. They are used widely as reference values in the design and evaluation of research studies and results, in development of national dietary guidelines and food guides, in planning and monitoring nutrition-related public health programs and initiatives, including military nutrition standards, in assessing the nutritional status of individuals and groups, and in patient and consumer counseling and nutrition educational programs.

The Institute of Medicine published the first DRIs for energy in 2005 in the report Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids. In 2021 the US and Canadian federal agencies asked the National Academies to review and update the requirements for energy.

This update of the DRI for energy includes some important changes, notes Siega-Riz. First, the DRI population is now defined as the general population, including those with overweight, obesity, and chronic diseases, rather than the previous “generally healthy” population. Second, the data source for doubly labeled water was expanded and includes databases that represent more diverse population groups. Third, physical activity was incorporated into PAL categories based on age group for the development of the TEE prediction equations. Lastly, the recommendations for pregnant women are more aligned with gestational weight gain recommendations that vary by women’s pregravid weight status.