Vitamins A and C—Proposed Allowances

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Abstract
The scientific basis of the recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) for vitamins A and C is discussed by the vice-chairman of the 1980–1985 RDA Committee. At the annual meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), which was held in St. Louis, MO, on April 13–18, 1986, an evening forum on the RDA controversy was arranged under the auspices of the Public Affairs Committee of the American Institute of Nutrition (AIN). Moderated by Prof. Irwin H. Rosenberg of the University of Chicago Medical Center, spokesmen for the 1980–1985 RDA Committee and for the National Academy of Sciences presented their views. This article, appropriately modified and expanded somewhat for publication, is based on the talk given by Dr. fames Allen Olson, Distinguished Professor at Iowa State University, Ames, and current president of AIN. Prof. Olson, whose expertise is in the field of vitamin A and carotenoids, was a member of the 1980–1985 RDA Committee. His opening comments express his feelings: “I must admit that I am not all that happy to be here. In fact, I feel much like Antigone, in Sophocles' tragedy, who faced the unresolvable conflict between loyalty to family and obedience to the State, and as you know, finished badly. My own conflict is between the conviction that the recommendations of our RDA Committee were absolutely correct, both scientifically and socially, and the equally held belief that nutritional scientists, our professional societies and the Academy all have much to gain by working harmoniously together. The disruption of 40 years of professional cooperation by the Academy, therefore, is very saddening indeed.”

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