Report of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) on the Nutritional Reference Intakes for the Spanish population

* This record is given in both English and Spanish.

The nutritional reference intake levels for a population allow the development of dietary recommendations that ensure a balanced nutritional contribution for the maintenance of good health, as well as for the development of nutritional policies that allow the prevention of chronic and deficiency diseases.
In the case of Spain, the last available update of the Dietary Reference Intakes was carried out in 2010 by the Spanish Federation of Nutrition, Food and Dietetics Societies (FESNAD). At European level, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published Dietary Reference Values between 2010 and 2017, and other countries have also updated their nutritional references over the last decade.
The estimation of new nutritional reference intakes for the Spanish population, has followed a methodology that includes searching for reference intakes published by official international organisations, collecting data updated after 2010 and the harmonisation of recommendations by sex and age ranges. Finally, for each nutrient, vitamin or mineral, the nutritional reference intakes values for
a healthy population have been determined by applying a decision-making algorithm based on that of FESNAD. In the case of macronutrients and energy, those established by EFSA are accepted.
The document establishes nutritional reference intakes for 15 minerals: calcium, chlorine, chromium, copper, fluoride, phosphorus, iron, iodine, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, potassium, selenium, sodium and zinc, and 13 vitamins: vitamin A, vitamin B1 (thiamine), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B3 (niacin), vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), vitamin B9 (dietary equivalents of folate), vitamin B12 (cobalamin), biotin, vitamin C, vitamin D , vitamin E (α-tocopherol) and vitamin K. These nutritional reference intakes are based on healthy population data; therefore, they do not cover the specific demands of cases in which there are altered physiological needs and metabolic dysfunctions. The existing individual genetic, anthropometric and physiological variation, as well as physical activity, are only incompletely taken into account when estimating individual nutrient
requirements. The use of these reference values at individual level requires the consideration of the existence of external and intrinsic factors to the person (sociocultural, nutritional, physiological or even genetic characteristics), as well as the bioavailability and interaction of nutrients, necessary for the adaptation of personal requirements.
Implementing these nutritional recommendations in daily practice must be accompanied by dietary recommendations, expressed in terms of food consumption. However, these dietary recommendations must consider compliance with nutritional requirements, considering the population’s specific sociocultural factors.
In short, the nutritional reference intakes have different applications and must be updated periodically in order to implement them in the assessment of the population’s nutritional status; to develop nutritional and agricultural policies; to design food guides, as well as to develop new products that consider the nutritional needs of specific population groups (children, the elderly, infants, etc.).
Other challenges on the horizon include considering the possibility of including nutritional reference intakes for people with chronic diseases, as well as treating toxicological aspects associated with disproportionate nutrient intakes.