Strengths and Weaknesses of the Committee Approach

Abstract

A review of the history of international efforts to establish protein requirements and safe allowances for healthy adults reveals the difficulties of the expert-committee approach to problems of this nature. Although it is preferable to less democratic approaches, the committees involved often acted without sufficient knowledge of the relevant literature and seldom had time to study and evaluate unpublished data presented at the meetings. Moreover, the available data are still inadequate for the purpose, even though each meeting report has stimulated additional relevant research. Research since the 1971 meeting of the FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Energy and Protein Requirements has already cast doubt on its recommendations. Recent evidence suggests that the "safe allowance of protein" that it proposed is inadequate for long-term maintenance of health in young adults even when energy intakes are wholly adequate or even excessive. (N Engl J Med 294:136–142, 1976)