SACN Dietary Recommendations for Energy report
PREPUBLICATION COPY UNCORRECTED PROOF
In 1991, the Committee on the Medical Aspects of Food Policy (COMA) provided dietary reference values for energy (DRVs). The DRVs provide the best estimate of food energy needs for the UK population and its subgroups and criteria against which to judge the adequacy of their energy intakes. Any sustained imbalance between energy intake and expenditure will lead to progressive gain or loss in weight.
Since 1991, the measurement of energy expenditure has advanced. The development and wide usage of the doubly labelled water method enables total energy expenditure to be measured over extended periods in free-living people. As a result, the evidence base on energy expenditure in a variety of population groups has expanded. Also since the DRVs were set, the levels of overweight and obesity in the UK have risen sharply, yet national dietary surveys show that average energy intakes appear to be lower than the current recommendations. For these reasons, SACN was asked by the Department of Health and the Food Standards Agency to review the energy requirements for the UK population.
A copy of the full report is available for download via the above link.
PREPUBLICATION COPY UNCORRECTED PROOF