An individualization of dietary requirements for energy in adults.

This article proposes an estimate of the daily caloric recommendation for individual adults as 50 kcal per kilogram lean body mass (LBM). This estimate is calculated for light activity, one the basis of the typical activity patterns of a reference man and woman, as listed in the 1980 Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs). The proposed individual and the 1980 RDA group energy estimates are compared for adults of various ages. Metabolic ward data are examined to compared the prediction accuracy of the LBM method and other existing methods. Adjustments for individual variation in activity are suggested. The authors believes that the proposed method provides the best current individual caloric guide to complement the group table of the 1980 RDAs.