IOM to hear public comments in vitamin D, calcium DRI meeting

19-Jul-2009 - Last updated on 20-Jul-2009 at 09:43 GMT

Industry will have the chance to comment on the ongoing review of vitamin D and calcium daily recommended intake (DRI) values at a meeting to be held next month by the US Institute of Medicine (IOM).

The Open Public Workshop, due to take place in Washington, DC, on August 4, is the second meeting set up by an IOM committee charged with updating the appropriate DRIs for the two nutrients.

The review, which follows sponsorship received from the US and Canadian governments, will assess all current relevant data and will also include consideration of chronic and non-chronic disease indicators.

Current daily recommended values for the nutrients were established by IOM in 1997. Since then, the organization said there has been significant new research on bone health as well as a growing interest in the connection between vitamin D intake and cancer and other chronic disease.

Committee meetings

As part of its review process, IOM established a committee of experts – based on expertise and a conflict of interest review – to co-ordinate the review and ensure the objectivity of the report.

The committee held its first meeting in March this year and included an open session during which the study sponsors presented their perspectives.

Next month’s meeting will bring together members of the public, who will have the opportunity to make written or verbal comments to the committee.

To register to attend the meeting, click here.

One topic on the workshop agenda is the 2009 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) report: Relationships of Vitamin D and Calcium Intakes to Nutrient Status Indicators and Health Outcomes, which became available on June 30.

IOM said the report, available here, reflects information that the committee may consider as it integrates all available data relevant to the DRIs for vitamin D and calcium.

Assessment process

The IOM committee aims to update DRI values using a risk assessment approach that includes:

· Identification of indicators of adequacy and hazard

· Selection of the indicators of adequacy and the critical adverse effect

· Intake-response assessment

· Dietary intake assessment

· Risk characterization

As part of its review, the IOM committee will:

· Review evidence on indicators of adequacy and on indicators of adverse effects from excess intake relevant to the general US and Canadian population.

· Consider all systematic evidenced-based reviews

· Consider different age, gender and lifestage groups in order to determine an Estimated Average Requirement as an indicator upon which to base DRI values.

· Examine whether a critical adverse effect can be selected, which will help in the consideration of DRI values for upper levels of intake.

· Identify research gaps to address the uncertainties identified in the process of deriving the reference values and evaluating their public health implications.

The estimated publication date of IOM’s report is May of 2010.