Dietary Reference Intakes: the Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements

edited by JJ Otten, JP Hellwig, and LD Meyers, 2006, 560 pages, hardcover, $44.96. The National Academies Press, Washington, DC.

Kansas State University
Department of Human Nutrition
213 Justin Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
E-mail: medeiros{at}humec.ksu.edu

I felt a sense of déjà vu when I started to examine and read this latest publication from the National Academies Press on the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs). Those of us who remember previous versions have long yearned for the good old days when the dietary standards were in one volume and easily obtained by walking to our book shelf. A protracted revision of the dietary standards has now given rise to the DRIs, which has been published over several years in several volumes. This book summarizes the basis of the new paradigm, presents the statistical foundations of such, and reviews, for each nutrient, how the Estimated Average Intake, the Recommended Dietary Intake, the Adequate Intake, and the Upper Level of intake were derived. Each nutrient is addressed in its own chapter, and all of the chapters have similar outlines and formats, which make them easy to read. There are 3 parts to the book: part 1 concerns the development and application of the DRIs; part 2 focuses on energy, macronutrients, water, and physical activity; and part 3 addresses vitamins and minerals.

Most of the chapters begin by explaining the function of the nutrient in the body (function, absorption, metabolism, storage, and transport) and are followed by a section on how the DRIs were determined, what special considerations were taken in their determination, food sources (including supplements) and bioavailability, and inadequate and excess intakes. Each chapter concludes with a checklist of "Key Points."

A shortcoming of the book is that it does not contain references; however, the reader is referred to the volumes of earlier works in which citations are available and Web addresses are given. Given the new age of computers and technology, it appears that the days of flipping to the end of a chapter to locate references to the cited works are over. Another shortcoming of the book is that it contains errors. For example, the value provided for converting vitamin A retinol activity equivalents from ß-carotene is given as 24 in one chapter and as 12 in another.

I highly recommend this reasonably priced book for those who desire a convenient reference on the DRIs. Professors, health workers, and students alike should consider adding this book to their library.