title: Position paper on RDA for protein for children.
abstract: The Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) by the National Academy of Sciences are revised approximately every five years. The RDA are compromise opinions of highly qualified nutritional scientists based on interpretations of available data. As with any interpretations of available data. As with any, interpretations and opinions not found on definitive information, they are subject to challenges. The RDA for protein for 7-to 9-uear-old children have been adjusted downward from 60 g in 1958 to 36 g in 1974, a 40% reduction. Data from our laboratories have shown positive apparent nitrogen balances on intakes as low as 18 g daily when no allowances were made for integumental and other nitrogen losses, however, based on accumulative data over several years we calculate the protein requirement to be 45 g daily from a typical American diet. If a safety factor of 30% is added the allowance would become 58.5 g. Currently the RDA for protein for the 7- to 10-year-old child supplies 6% of the RDA for Calories which contrasts to 8.30 and 9.20% for adult males and females, respectively. For comparison, energy from protein as a percentage of total energy for some common foods are: white bread, 12%; corn meal 10%; white rice 7%; and wheat flour 13%.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D002149:Energy Intake; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D012737:Sex Factors; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena; D013542:Sweat / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D004044:Dietary Proteins