New Reference Values for Energy Intake.

The reference values for energy intake of the German, Austrian and Swiss nutrition societies for children, adolescents and adults are derived using the factorial method. For adults, a mean BMI of 22 kg/m(2) is taken as a basis given the current mean body size for adults residing in Germany (taken from the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Adults, DEGS1). The determination of the energy expenditure for infants is based on data obtained using the doubly labelled water (DLW) method. The energy storage in growing tissue will be added for the purpose of deriving reference values for this age group. For pregnant women, given an increase in body weight of 12 kg during pregnancy, guiding values for additional energy intake in the second trimester of 250 kcal/day and in the third trimester of 500 kcal/day are indicated using DLW data sets and taking energy storage in growing tissue into account. In case of overweight prior to pregnancy as well as in the case of reduced physical activity during pregnancy, the additional requirement is lower. For women exclusively breastfeeding during the first 4-6 months, the guiding value for additional energy intake is quoted as 500 kcal/day.