Estimated Average Requirement (EAR)

The Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) is the average daily intake of a nutrient estimated to meet the requirement of 50 percent of healthy people in a particular life-stage and sex group. It is one of the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) used in planning and assessing nutrient intakes .^1,2

The EAR is based on a defined physiological requirement criterion for the nutrient, such as maintaining a particular body store, biochemical function, or other indicator of adequacy. Because individual nutrient requirements vary, an intake equal to the EAR would be expected to meet the requirement of about half of the people in the specified group .¹

The EAR has two major uses. It provides the statistical basis for deriving a Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) when enough information about the distribution of individual requirements is available. It is also used, under appropriate assumptions, to estimate the prevalence of inadequate nutrient intakes within groups by comparing the distribution of usual intakes with the EAR .^1,2

The EAR should not be interpreted as an intake target for an individual. The RDA is generally the more appropriate individual intake goal because it is set to meet the requirements of nearly all healthy people in a group. If evidence is insufficient to establish an EAR, an RDA cannot be set, and an Adequate Intake may be established instead. The Tolerable Upper Intake Level serves a different purpose by addressing the risk of excessive intake .^1,2