Macronutrient Recommendations
-
Article By: The Weight Watchers Research Dept.
-
- Print
-
- Email
|
A diet that is balanced in macronutrients can reduce risk of disease and foster lasting weight loss.
A diet that is balanced in its macronutrient distribution can help reduce the risk of disease and foster lasting weight loss.
|
Essential nutrients are not limited to vitamins and minerals. The major macronutrients – protein, carbohydrate and fat &150 are also essential to nutritional health and well-being. But who decides how much of any nutrient is needed to prevent a deficiency, reduce disease risk or create a healthy diet?
In the early 1990s, the Committee on Medical Aspect Nutrition Policy (COMA) reviewed the latest science to develop nutrient requirements which are known today as the Dietary Reference Values (DRVs).
Since that time, COMA has been replaced by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutriton (SACN) and it is likely that new nutritional recommendations will come out in the near future.
The DRVs are a set of nutrient-based values that can be used to evaluate how 'nutritious' a diet is.1 These include:
- Estimated Average Requirements
- Reference Nutrient Intakes
- Lower Reference Nutrient Intakes
- Safe Intakes
A key component of the recommendation for macronutrients is how they are distributed in the diet; in other words, the percent of calories coming from protein, carbohydrate and fat. The macronutrient DRVs for adults are as follows:
- Protein: 15% (including and excluding alcohol)
- Fat: 33% (including alcohol), 35% (excluding alcohol)
- Carbohydrate: 47% (including alcohol), 50% (excluding alcohol)
According to the COMA panel, these macronutrient DRV's are associated with reduced risk for chronic diseases, while providing essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals. There are also DRVs for alcohol in which the recommended intake for men is 3 to 4 units or less a day for men and 2 to 3 units or less per day for women.
A diet that is balanced in its macronutrient distribution is recommended for lasting weight loss because unbalanced nutrient profiles may increase the risk of adverse health consequences.2
view footnotes
The Weight Watchers Approach:
The Weight Watchers food plans, in conjunction with the Healthy Eating Guidelines, guide food choices to an eating pattern that is in line with the DRVs.
|
|
1"Dietary Reference Values for Food Energy and Nutrients for the United Kingdom - "Report on Health and Social Subjects 41." Department of Health, HMSO, London 1991.
2Wilkinson DL, McCargar L. Is there an optimal macronutrient mix for weight loss and weight maintenance? Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol. 2004 Dec;18(6):1031-47.
Science Library Resources You may browse through the Science Library by topic, or view our Glossary to look up specific definitions and terms. |