Dietary reference values for vitamins and minerals for lactating women

The Health Council used the dietary reference values set by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for breastfeeding women (lactating women)*. Breastfeeding generates an additional requirement for nutrients. For this additional nutritional requirement, the Health Council was able to rely on the values set by the EFSA for the majority of the vitamins and minerals.

Dietary reference values indicate the amount of vitamins and minerals the body needs to function properly and prevent disease. Dietary reference values are used, for example, for public education on nutrition, for dietary advice from dietitians and for monitoring the nutrient intake of the Dutch population.

In practice, not all dietary reference values are relevant for nutrition education and dietary monitoring. That applies only to dietary reference values that are sufficiently scientifically supported. The dietary reference values for breastfeeding women that are relevant for application  are: vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin B12, C, D, K1, calcium, iodine, potassium, copper, magnesium, selenium, iron and zinc. The Health Council has previously qualified most of these values as being relevant for application, as found in the dietary advice for adults and pregnant women. The dietary reference value for selenium has been included in this, in the advice on the qualification of selenium that was published simultaneously with the advice on dietary reference values for lactating women.