Question

What is the relationship between Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) and Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)?

A. The RDA is used to plan the diets of the individual, whereas the EAR is used to plan the diets of the population.
B. The EAR is established when insufficient data exist to establish an RDA.
C. The EAR is more appropriate for diet planning and evaluating because the RDA overestimates the needs of most healthy individuals.
D. The RDA is higher than the EAR because it accounts for a safety factor to meet the needs of most healthy individuals in a population.

Answer 1

The RDA is calculated from the EAR and is set higher to include a safety margin, aiming to cover the nutritional needs of 97.5% of the healthy population. Option D is correct.

Step-by-step explanation:

The relationship between the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) and the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is that RDA is derived from EAR. EAR is a nutrient intake value that is estimated to meet the requirement of half the healthy individuals in a group, while RDA is a higher intake level used to meet the needs of nearly all (97.5%) healthy individuals in a group.

Specifically, the RDA is calculated from the EAR by considering the variability in needs of a population. Therefore, the correct option is D: The RDA is higher than the EAR because it includes a safety factor to meet the needs of most healthy individuals in a population.