The Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) are integral to dietary recommendations across federal food and nutrition programs and serve as a resource for developing food and nutrition policies and regulations as well as development of national dietary guidelines. A component of the DRIs is the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR). AMDRs are reference values for energy intakes from carbohydrate, fat, and protein that were established in the mid-1990s to provide health professionals with guidance on dietary intake recommendations for energy-containing macronutrients associated with micronutrient intake adequacy and decreased risk of chronic disease. This letter report considers whether the AMDR is needed within the expanded DRI framework that includes chronic disease risk reduction considerations.

Contents

• NATIONAL ACADEMIES Science Engineering Medicine
• STANDING COMMITTEE FOR THE REVIEW OF THE DIETARY REFERENCE INTAKE FRAMEWORK
• Reviewers
• Acronyms and Abbreviations
• Summary
  • BACKGROUND
  • THE COMMITTEE’S TASK
  • SHOULD THE AMDR BE RETAINED?
  • FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS
  • CONSIDERATIONS
• 1. Letter to the Sponsor
• 2. Background and Statement of Task
  • THE COMMITTEE’S TASK
  • APPROACH TO THE TASK
  • ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT
• 3. Description of the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range
  • DEVELOPMENT OF THE DIETARY REFERENCE INTAKES
  • APPLICATION OF THE AMDRs IN DIETARY PLANNING AND ASSESSMENT
  • SUMMARY
• 4. Current Applications of the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range
  • CURRENT APPLICATIONS OF THE AMDR
  • SUMMARY
• 5. Concerns about the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range
  • CONCERNS ABOUT USE OF THE AMDR IN APPLICATIONS
  • AN ALTERNATIVE FRAMEWORK TO THE AMDRs
  • SUMMARY
• 6. Recommendations and Considerations
  • FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
  • CONSIDERATIONS
• Appendix A. References
• Appendix B. Public Meeting Agenda
• Appendix C. Literature Search Results
• Appendix D. Biographical Sketches of Committee Members

Suggested citation:

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2024. Rethinking the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range for the 21st century: A letter report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/27957.

Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/27957

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