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The need for a DRI‐like process for bioactives: rethinking the essential nutrient paradigm (630.6)
Author(s) -
Lupton Joanne,
Hathcock John,
Griffiths James
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.28.1_supplement.630.6
Subject(s) - essential nutrient , nutrient , dietary reference intake , disease , environmental health , food science , human nutrition , process (computing) , biology , medicine , business , gerontology , microbiology and biotechnology , computer science , ecology , operating system
Bioactives (BA) can be defined as “Constituents in foods or dietary supplements, other than those needed to meet basic human nutritional needs, which are responsible for changes in health status.” Consumers are seeking out and purchasing food and supplement products containing BA, yet since there is no evaluative process in place, the public is unaware of how strong the science is behind the benefits or the quantative amounts needed to achieve these desired effects. It is important to develop a paradigm suitable for evaluating and designating a DRI‐like standing to these BA. That would elevate their status and make consumption or lack thereof part of nutrition public policy. Although traditional “essential” nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, essential amino acids and protein have substantiated and referenced Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) there is no such evaluative and decision‐making process for BA. A major difference between BA and essential nutrients is that the absence of a BA in the diet does not result in a deficiency disease. Consequently: 1) It is necessary to base a BA DRI value on decreased risk of disease rather than a deficiency endpoint and, 2) When an essential nutrient is absent from the diet there is a 100% chance that the deficiency endpoint will occur contrasted to the absence of a specific BA from the diet may show a decreased (<100%) risk of disease.