L. Fabiani, C. Dumas, A. de Sesmaisons-Lecarré, S. Ioannidou, M. Neuhäuser-Berthold, H. Przyrembel, D. Turck
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Average requirement (AR) (covers the needs of 50% of the population)?
The European Commission requested EFSA to update the previous DRVs for the EU, i.e. science-based reference values for nutrient intake of healthy people. The work on energy, water, macronutrients and vitamins has been completed; that on minerals continues.
What type of DRVs for vitamins?
Adequate intake (AI) (when an AR/a PRI cannot be set)?
Population reference intake (PRI) (covers the needs of 97.5% of the population)?
METHODS YES
Data on Intake/status/health? Or fetal accumulation and maintenance of newly formed tissue and absorption efficiency?
YES
DRV set
NO
Evidence for an increased nutritional requirement during pregnancy?
(due to e.g. physiological adaptation, stores)
Same DRV as for non-pregnant women
By default extrapolation from:
NO
DRV for non-pregnant women And reference body weight for non-pregnant women and average body weight increase in pregnancy
(absence of pertinent data)
DRV set
RESULTS The previous DRVs for niacin and thiamin (per MJ), vitamin K (per kg of body weight) and vitamin A were confirmed. EFSA changed the DRV for vitamin E to an adequate daily amount (instead of per g of PUFA intake).
Biotin μg/day EFSA approach EFSA SCF* PRI
AI
40 15-100
Niacin Pantothenic acid Vitamin D mg NE/MJ mg/day μg/day
1.6 1.6
Vitamin E (EFSA: α-tocopherol) EFSA: mg/day - SCF: mg α-TE/g PUFA Same DRV as non-pregnant women 5 15 11 3-12 10 0.4
EFSA set the DRV for folate from biomarker data and that for vitamin B6 considering fetal and maternal accumulation. EFSA set a new DRV for choline, and increased those for riboflavin, folate, cobalamin and vitamin C. The same DRVs for all women were proposed when data for an increased requirement during pregnancy were insufficient (e.g. alpha-tocopherol).
DRVs for pregnant women Cobalamin Vitamin A Vitamin B6 μg/day μg RE/day mg/day
4.5 1.6
Vitamin C mg/day
Fetal/maternal accumulation 700 1.8 700 1.3
105 55
Riboflavin mg/day
Thiamin mg/MJ
Vitamin K Choline µg/kg body mg/day weight/day Extrapolation from AI non-pregnant women 1.9 0.1 1 480 1.6 0.1 -
Folate EFSA: μg DFE/day SCF: μg/day Biomarker of status 600 400
Acceptable Intake Range
*Scientific Committee on Food
CONCLUSIONS This review of available evidence for setting DRVs showed the paucity of EU national surveys on pregnant women and the need for studies specifically designed to assess their dietary requirements, epigenetic modifications e.g. by choline maternal supplementation, or nutrient transfer to the fetus. . .
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like thank Ermolaos Ververis from the Nutrition Unit for his input on the production of this poster For further information, please contact: NUTRITION Unit
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Photo credits: Shutterstock, EFSA
DIETARY REFERENCE VALUES (DRVs) FOR VITAMINS SET FOR PREGNANT WOMEN IN THE EUROPEAN UNION (EU) BY THE EUROPEAN FOOD SAFETY AUTHORITY (EFSA)
