Twitter Facebook  What are Recommended Dietary Allowances, DRI,
RDAs, DVs + Nutrient Balance Studies, Nutrition Facts, Daily
Values     «Previous     Next»    Back to Index   How are the
RDAs determined?   The recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) are
determined based upon in-depth research studies, including those
performed to determine “balance”. Balance studies are designed
to determine how much of a specific nutrient humans need to eat
in order to balance that which is normally lost daily from the
body and to maintain appropriate levels of that nutrient in the
body. When these studies were performed, scientists observed
that there was quite a bit of variability among the balances of
different individuals.  A hypothetical representation of a
particular nutrient’s balance is depicted in Nutrient Balance
Figure.  Based on balance studies, researchers are able to
determine estimated average requirements for specific gender and
age groups for a given nutrient. Here they add up all of the
individual balance leve