Rethinking the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range for the 21st Century

The Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) are integral to dietary recommendations across federal food and nutrition programs and serve as a resource for developing food and nutrition policies and regulations as well as development of national dietary guidelines. A component of the DRIs is the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR). AMDRs are reference values for energy intakes from carbohydrate, fat, and protein that were established in the mid-1990s to provide health professionals with guidance on dietary intake recommendations for energy-containing macronutrients associated with micronutrient intake adequacy and decreased risk of chronic disease. This letter report considers whether the AMDR is needed within the expanded DRI framework that includes chronic disease risk reduction considerations.