Explain about the Adequate Intake (AI)?
If sufficient data are not available to establish an EAR and hence RDA, the AI is derived instead. The AI is derived from observations of nutrient intakes by a group of apparently healthy individuals who are maintaining a defined nutritional state or criterion of adequacy. Criteria of adequacy include normal growth, maintenance of normal levels of nutrients in plasma or general health. The mean observed intake of this group of healthy individuals of a particular life stage and gender is taken as the AI. While AI can be used as a goal for individual intake, it has only limited use in assessment. As and when more data become available, the A1 will be replaced with RDAs. It must be noted here that AI represents an informed judgment ab0u.t what appears to be an adequate intake for an individual based on available information. On the other hand, RDA is data based and is a statistically relevant estimate of the required level of intake of the nutrient for almost all individuals. For this reason, AI must be used with caution.