トップページへ
Top Page > The JDA News Letter on web
The Sixth Revision of Japanese Recommended Dietary Allowances
- Dietary Reference Intake -  
 
In Japan, the Japanese Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) are revised every five years giving due consideration to such factors as nutritional status, the changes of dietary habits of the people, the nutrition and health problems that exist at that time, and the progress of nutritional science. In June 1999, the Sixth Revision of RDAs was announced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and already started to use since April 2000 effective to the year 2004.
In the past years, RDAs had been established and used as the group target values to prevent nutritional deficiency. For that reason, RDAs had been applied as a reference for planning and preparing food supplies for a specific group on the one hand, and RDAs had been also used as a guideline applicable for an individual only in case where such factors as sex, age, physical activity, physical generally correspond to those of a specific group on the other hand.
However, today, the main subjects of nutritious problems confronting Japan are not only nutritional deficiency, but also lifestyle-related diseases which would be cased by the excessive or unbalanced intake of nutrients. Under these circumstances, the fixed RDAs should not be applicable for an individual as a reference to maintain and improve his/her health conditions. Furthermore, such RDAs were not the internationally coordinated standards in terms of definition, target value, the nutrient components, calculation method, and application method.
Therefore, in the 1999 Revision, the new RDAs concept was adapted on the basis of the idea of the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) which was proposed by the Joint Committee of the United States of America and Canada in 1995, in order to solve such problems. The new RDAs are the reference values which will be applicable according as each of the objectives.
The concept of the new reference values are as follows (See Figure-1):
(a) Estimated Average Requirements: EARs
EARs indicate an average value of nutrient requirements of which the special group people by age and sex can maintain their nutritional conditions. About 50% of them can fulfill requirements based on there nutrient values.
(b) Recommended Dietary Allowances: RDAs
RDAs indicate the dairy values recommended for energy and nutrition intakes that 97-98% of a certain group people can fulfill dairy dietary requirements. It is the value that can be obtained from EARs and an adequate margin of safety. They are calculated by the formula of RDAs = ERAs + 2SD (standard deviation).
(c) Tolerable Upper Intake Levels: ULs
ULs indicate the values of the maximum daily intake that a specific group people can continue to take nutrients without additional risks every day.
The values mentioned above are called as “Dietary Reference Intakes” : DRIs. Under these new system, dietitians are expected to effectively contribute to preventing citizens from various kinds of diseases such as nutritional deficiency, excessive food intake syndromes, to reducing and eliminating risk factors which cause lifestyle-related diseases, and to positively carrying out dietary control and nutritional education at all stages.
The tables 2-6 show the details of the nutrient components adopted by considering, as much as possible, international requirements.
 
Figure-1 Dietary Reference Intake (DRI)

 

 
Table-2 Energy Intake (kcal/day)
Classification for Intensities of Physical Activities
Levels of activities
Ages
(very Light)
(light)
(Moderate)
(Heavy)
(Years)
Male
Female
Male
Female
Male
Female
Male
Female
0~(M)
    
110~120kcal/kg
        
6~(M)
    
100kcal/kg
        
1~2
-
-
1,050
1,050
1,200
1,200
-
-
3~5
-
-
1,350
1,300
1,550
1,500
-
-
6~8
-
-
1,650
1,500
1,900
1,700
-
-
9~11
-
-
1,950
1,750
2,250
2,050
-
-
12~14
-
-
2,200
2,000
2,550
2,300
-
-
15~17
2,100
1,700
2,400
1,950
2,750
2,200
3,050
2,500
18~29
2,000
1,550
2,300
1,800
2,650
2,050
2,950
2,300
30~49
1,950
1,500
2,250
1,750
2,550
2,000
2,850
2,200
50~69
1,750
1,450
2,000
1,650
2,300
1,900
2,550
2,100
70~
1,600
1,300
1,850
1,500
2,050
1,700
-
-
Pregnancy
    
+350kcal
        
Lactation
    
+600kcal
        
Note : (1) Those categorized under “(Very light)” or “(Light)” concerning the intensity of life activities are advised to take the amount of energy corresponding to “(Moderate)” by changing the patterns of daily physical activities or intensifying physical exercise.
(2) Adults are recommended to take 20~25g(10g/1,000kcal) of dietary fibers.
(3) The carbohydrate intake is recommended to take at least more than 50 per cent against the total energy intake.

 

 
Table-3 Fat Energy Allowances
Ages (Years)
Percent of fat energy (%)
0 ~(M)
45
6 ~(M)
30~40
1 ~17
25~30
18~69
20~25
70~
20~25
Pregnancy-Lactation
20~30
Note : (1) The recommended intake ratios of saturated fatty acids (S), monosaturated fatty acids (M), polyunsaturated fatty acids (p) are 3 : 4 : 3.
(2) For the healthy people, the intake ratios of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are 4.

 

 
Table-4 Protein Allowances (g/day)
Ages (Years)
Male
Female
0~(M)
  
2.6/kg
  
6~(M)
 
2.7/kg
  
1~2
35
    
3~5
45
    
6~8
60
  
55
9~11
75
  
65
12~14
85
  
70
15~17
80
  
65
18~29
70
  
55
30~49
70
  
55
50~69
65
  
55
70~
65
  
55
Pregnancy
    
+10g
Lactation
    
+20g

 

 
Table-5 Reference of Mineral Intake
Ages
Calcium (mg)
Iron (mg)
Phosphorus(mg)
RDAs
ULs
RDAs
ULs
RDAs
ULs
M
F
M
F
15~17
800
700
-
12
12
40
1,200
-
18~29
700
600
2,500
10
12
40
700
4,000
30~49
600
600
2,500
10
12
40
700
4,000
50~69
600
600
2,500
10
12
40
700
4,000
70~
600
600
-
10
10
40
700
-
RDAs : Recommended Dietary AllowancesULs : Tolerable Upper Intake Levels
Ages
Magnesium(mg)
Sodium
Phosphorus(mg)
RDAs
ULs
RDAs
ULs
M
F
15~17
290
250
650
Less than
2,000
  
18~29
310
250
700
10g/day*
2,000
3,500mg/day*
30~49
320
260
700
2,000
  
50~69
300
260
650
2,000
  
70~
280
240
650
2,000
  
Note : * : To prevent from high blood pressure
Ages
Copper (mg)
Iodine (μg)
Manganese (mg)
RDAs
ULs
RDAs
ULs
RDAs
ULs
M
F
M
F
15~17
290
250
650
150
3,000
4.0
3.0
-
18~29
310
250
700
150
3,000
4.0
3.0
10
30~49
320
260
700
150
3,000
4.0
3.5
10
50~69
300
260
650
150
3,000
4.0
3.5
10
70~
280
240
650
150
3,000
3.5
3.0
-
 
Ages
Selenium (μg)
Lead (mg)
Chromium (mg)
Molybdenum (mg)
RDAs
ULs
RDAs
ULs
RDAs
ULs
RDAs
ULs
M
F
M
F
M
F
M
F
15~17
60
45
250
10
9
-
35
30
250
30
25
250
18~29
60
45
250
11
9
30
35
30
250
30
25
250
30~49
55
45
250
12
10
30
35
30
250
30
25
250
50~69
50
45
250
11
10
30
30
25
250
30
25
250
70~
45
40
250
10
9
-
25
20
250
25
25
250

 

 
Table-6 Reference of Vitamin Intake
Ages
Vitamin A (ugRE*1)
Vitamin D (ug)
Vitamin E(mg α-TE*2)
RDAs
ULs
RDAs
ULs
RDAs
ULs
M
F
M
F
15~17
600
540
1,500
2.5
50
10
8
600
18~29
600
540
1,500
2.5
50
10
8
600
30~49
600
540
1,500
2.5
50
10
8
600
50~69
600
540
1,500
2.5
50
10
8
600
70~
600
540
1,500
2.5
50
10
8
600
*1 RE : Retinol Equivalent*2 α-TE : Tocopherol Equivalent
Ages
Vitamin K (μg)
Vitamin B1 (mg)
Vitamin B2 (mg)
RDAs
ULs
RDAs
ULs
RDAs
ULs
M
F
M
F
M
F
15~17
60
55
28,000
1.2
1.0
-
1.3
1.1
-
18~29
60
55
30,000
1.1
0.8
-
1.2
1.0
-
30~49
60
55
30,000
1.1
0.8
-
1.2
1.0
-
50~69
60
55
30,000
1.1
0.8
-
1.2
1.0
-
70~
60
55
30,000
1.1
0.8
-
1.2
1.0
-
 
Ages
Niacin
Vitamin B6 (mg)
Folic acid (μg)
RDAs (mgNE*3)
ULs(mg)
RDAs
ULs
RDAs
ULs
  M
F
M
F
15~17
17
14
30
1.6
1.2
90
200
900
18~29
17
13
30
1.6
1.2
100
200
1.000
30~49
16
13
30
1.6
1.2
100
200
1.000
50~69
16
13
30
1.6
1.2
100
200
1.000
70~
16
13
30
1.6
1.2
100
200
1.000
*3 NE : Niacin Equivalent
Ages
Vitamin B12 (μg)
Biotin
Pantothenicacid(mg)
Vitamin C (mg)
RDAs
ULs
RDAs
ULs
RDAs
ULs
RDAs
ULs
15~17
2.3
-
26
-
4
-
90
-
18~29
2.4
-
30
-
5
-
100
-
30~49
2.4
-
30
-
5
-
100
-
50~69
2.4
-
30
-
5
-
100
-
70~
2.4
-
30
-
5
-
100
-
 
Copyright (c) . The Japan Dietetic Association All rights reserved