ABSTRACT
Assessment of the intake of proteins requires data on the composition of foods as they are consumed as well as on the amounts that are consumed. Unfortunately, the collection of the appropriate data to determine either the composition of the foods or the amounts that are consumed is much more complicated than this would imply. This chapter discusses the types of data, the methods that are available to collect each type of data, and finally the methods for combining the data to produce estimates of intake. The final step of the process is to assess the meaning of the estimated intakes, e.g., to compare the estimated intakes with relevant nutritional reference values to assess the adequacy of the intakes. The results can also be used to confirm that intakes are not excessive. The analyst must have the intended application in mind in designing the intake assessment in order to select the most appropriate data and models. Typically, the process will be conducted for the general population, as well as critical groups that are expected to be have significantly different intakes than the general population, e.g., infants, children, ethnic subgroups.
