Understanding RDA and Body Mass Index
The recommended dietary allowance / recommended daily allowance is is defined as the average daily dietary intake level that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of approximately 98 percent of healthy individuals.
The RDA for individuals will differ when taking into account the varying requirements of males, females and their relative ages. Most food packing will include the RDA along side its own nutritional content.
It is also evident that even the healthiest of individuals that have a severe surplus or deficit will develop a number of health issues. By keeping the required nutritional intake close to equilibrium, the body can operate at optimum levels.
For those with a deficiency, which is often the result of a poor diet or from the additional nutritional requirements from intense exercise, the use of health supplements (vitamins) and sports supplements in the most efficient means of regaining nutritional balance.
The use of a daily multivitamin or a whey protein supplement is now generally consumed by many individuals to easily combat the possibility of deficiency.
With 10 in 100 adults worldwide considered to be overweight, obesity has become a global epidemic. Obesity-related diseases such as stroke, heart attack, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and type-2 diabetes account for nearly 10 million deaths every year all around the globe.
The body mass index is used to provide an estimate of healthy body weight based on an individuals height.
The calculation of BMI is defined as an individuals body weight divided by the square of their height and is widely used to generally categorised people as underweight, overweight or obese.
The Body mass index does however have limitations as it does not account for the difference between body fat percentage and lean muscle mass. For those with a large proportion of lean muscle, especially those that engage in intense activity and use sports supplements such as whey protein or weight gainers, the BMI may indicate that they may be overweight or unhealthy.
Generally, the body mass index is therefore only a tool to measure an average ideal weight for any given height. Alternative methods to provide more accurate means of indicating obesity have been developed such as the body volume index.
Recently, researchers have developed a new way to measure the body fat. The new obesity scale is offered due to the flaws of the BMI. For example, BMI calculation cannot be generalized across men and women, athletes and different ethnic groups.
BAI (Body Adiposity Index) focuses on height and hip measurements and calculates the ratio of hip circumference to height.
Understanding RDA and Body Mass Index by Michael Hordern
