Monitoring Dietary Intakes

There are two sides to dietary intake. On the one hand, various governmental and institutional experts recommend minimum daily requirements and acceptable levels of consumption. On the other hand, dietary habits show that humans often consume quite different amounts of the same substances. This volume describes various methodologies to obtain data on the actual dietary intake of food components, additives and contaminants. The methodologies are evaluated and their pitfalls are examined. They are then applied to macronutrients, micronutrients, flavouring matters, food additives and food contaminants. Different techniques are compared and the need to standardize is expressed. The actual intake data is compared with recommended daily requirements and acceptable intakes. The book shows that the safety margins for food and natural products are usually smaller than those for additives and contaminants. InÄ an age when lawmakers increasingly require detailed, reliable information to help them resolve national differences in food legislation, this is a timely review showing how best to obtain dietary intake data. It provides nutritionists, epidemiologists, and toxicologists with a basis for developing better strategies to help ensure food safety.