Our bodies need about 40 different nutrients to maintain health. Some are required in relatively large quantities and are known as macronutrients, carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Micronutrients are needed only in minuscule amounts. These substances enable the body to produce enzymes, hormones and other substances essential for proper growth and development. As tiny as the amounts are, however, the consequences of their absence are severe. Iodine, vitamin A and iron are most important in global public health terms; their lack represents a major threat to the health and development of populations the world over, particularly children and pregnant women in low-income countries.
Different people have different energy needs. Very active people - athletes, those with physically active jobs - need lots of energy from food. People who are less active or who have sedentary jobs need less energy. Men usually need more energy than women and adults need more than children. Requirements for nutrients also differ at different ages and stages; for example, during rapid adolescent growth and during pregnancy, people need extra protein and minerals. When it comes to micronutrients, however, daily requirements vary less between individuals than they do for macronutrients.
Why do we need European recommendations for daily vitamin and mineral intakes?
Most European countries, or groups of countries, have set their own recommendations for the amounts of each nutrient their population should be consuming in an average day to avoid any deficiencies and to promote good health. Published values (known by terms such as recommended daily allowances (RDA), recommended intakes or dietary reference values) often vary widely between countries, sometimes more than two fold, even though the physiological requirements of the different populations are very similar. The recommendation for adult men for vitamin A, for example, may be 700, 800, 900 or 1000 micrograms per day depending on which country you are in.
The reason for this variation is not always clear. Possible explanations include differences in the nutritional status indicators and/or health indicators used by scientific experts to decide what level of intake is an adequate intake, the types of studies and references used, and ways of interpreting and weighing scientific data on requirements.
Variations in recommendations within Europe cause confusion among those who use them, such as policy makers, health professionals and the food industry. They are also confusing for consumers, who are now multicultural and more mobile.
EURRECA’s top 10 nutrients for review of their recommended intake
EURRECA's research across several population groups – infants, children and adolescents, adults, pregnant and lactating women, elderly, people with low income and immigrants – has led to the ranking of
micronutrients for review. The 10 nutrients identified as being in most urgent need of review are: vitamin D, iron, folate, vitamin B12, zinc, calcium, vitamin C, selenium, iodine and copper.
