Convinced that Americans are getting "softer," the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences—National Research Council cut back its recommended daily calorie allowances for adults.
In a revision of the Board's Recommended Dietary Allowances, the calorie requirement of the "reference man" (25 years old, 145 pounds, and moderately active) was reduced to 2,900 calories daily from the 3,200 diet recommended for the same man in 1958.
The diet of the "reference woman" (25 years old, 128 pounds, and moderately active) was lowered to a suggested 2,100 calories per day from the 1958 recommendation of 2,300 calories.
The recommended daily levels for the nutrients thiamin, niacin, and riboflavin, which are based on calorie requirements, were also reduced.
The Food and Nutrition Board's suggested caloric and nutrient allowances are used widely by the armed services, schools, hospitals, summer camps, prisons, and other public and private institutions as a guide