Estimated Average Requirement (EAR)
The average daily intake of a nutrient estimated to meet the requirement of 50% of healthy individuals in a defined life-stage and sex group.
Also: EAR
The EAR is the foundational DRI value from which the RDA is derived (RDA = EAR + 2 SD when requirements are normally distributed). It is the appropriate reference for assessing nutrient adequacy in groups using the cut-point method and for planning intake distributions in populations. An EAR is set only when a functional indicator of requirement exists; otherwise an AI is established instead.
How each textbook covers it
Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism, 8th ed. (Gropper) — Glossary
A Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) used to assess population nutrient adequacy and to derive the RDA (RDA ≈ EAR + 2 standard deviations).
duyff-complete-food-and-nutrition-guide-5e
Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease, 12th ed. — Ch 109: Dietary Reference Intakes
The EAR is the foundational DRI value from which the RDA is derived (RDA = EAR + 2 SD when requirements are normally distributed). It is the appropriate reference for assessing nutrient adequacy in groups using the cut-point method and for planning intake distributions in populations. An EAR is set only when a functional indicator of requirement exists; otherwise an AI is established instead.
Related terms
AI, Adequate Intake, DRI, RDA, Recommended Dietary Allowance, Tolerable Upper Intake Level, UL