Nutrient Composition of Rations for Short-Term, High-Intensity Combat Operations (2006) / Chapter Skim
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3 General Consideration and Summary of the Ration Design
3 General Consideration and Summary of the Ration Design
Pages 133-156
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From page 133... ...
COMMITTEE'S APPROACH TO RATION DESIGN The committee used the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) established by the Institute of Medicine for active young men (IOM, 2004)
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134 NUTRIENT COMPOSITION OF RATIONS TABLE 3-1 Ration Nutrient Composition Recommended by the Committee Nutrient or Energy Recommended Intake Amount Comments Energy Intake 2,400 kcal in Additional 400 kcal should be supplemented as basic ration carbohydrate in form of candy, gels, or powder to add to fluids, or all three. Macronutrients Protein 100120 g Protein should be of high biological value.
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The amount added to the ration should not be over 35 mg. Vitamin B6 2.73.9 mg Dependent on negative energy balance and loss of lean tissue.
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136 NUTRIENT COMPOSITION OF RATIONS TABLE 3-1 Continued Nutrient or Energy Recommended Intake Amount Comments Magnesium 400550 mg No more than 350 mg of magnesium salts should be present to meet the minimum daily amount of magnesium recommended. The rest should come from food sources.
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From page 137... ...
Taking this information into account, the committee concluded that a ration with a caloric content of 2,400 kcal -- if designed with adequate macronutrients and micronutrients, and eaten entirely and for short periods of time such as three to seven days up to a month -- would not pose any health risks. With the expected energy expenditures of 4,500 kcal/ day during the missions, it is possible that some soldiers might lose as much as 10 percent body weight before the end of the month, even with refeeding between missions; this degree of weight loss could result in adverse but mild performance defects.
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: Sodium up to 12 g Potassium up to 4.7 g Total Weight 16.7 g Packaging: 181 g Total Weight 0.95 kg Total Energy Content 2,800 kcal NOTE: This ration is intended for use over three- to seven-day missions for up to a month. Prolonged and continuous use of these rations as a sole source of sus tenance may lead to substantial weight loss.
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From page 139... ...
To maintain gastrointestinal health, a range of 1517 g of a mix of both viscous, nonfermentable and nonviscous, fermentable fiber is recommended. The primary reason to add fat to the ration is to provide a readily digestible food source of high energy density.
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From page 140... ...
for the B vitamins, the committee considered the importance of energy expenditure when setting the recommendations, while for vitamin B6, negative energy balance and loss of protein were considered; (2) for vitamin C, the committee added 25 mg to account for the needs of smokers; and (3)
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From page 141... ...
Caffeine is the only component for which there is compelling data showing effectiveness for combat soldiers and therefore only caffeine received the endorsement of the committee. Caffeine is often consumed in the field and its use for physical and cognitive performance was recommended in a recent Committee on Military Nutrition Research report (IOM, 2001)
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142 NUTRIENT COMPOSITION OF RATIONS recommends that such supplementation in the form of gels, dry powder to add to water, or candy be available during combat missions. In this way, small amounts of carbohydrate will be supplied as an extra source of energy.
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From page 143... ...
Finally, gastrointestinal fluid and electrolyte losses due to diarrhea illness can also severely stress water balance. Providing a palatable assault ration that will likely meet anticipated levels of energy intake under these short-term combat conditions should limit the use of local foods which might increase the risk of diarrheal disease.
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From page 144... ...
, rations in their testing phase, were strategically designed at the Natick Soldier Center to be consumed in the initial stages of combat. In contrast to the MREs, which can provide about 3,600 kcal/day, current FSRs provide approximately 2,4002,800 kcal if all components are eaten.
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Commercially available gels and powders have minimal amounts of electrolytes but could be fortified. Constraints on Ration Components The proposed nutrient composition of the ration (see Table 3-1)
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Because the foods that will be included are highly processed, they may not provide as complete an array of food components as a regular diet. Also, the distribution of the energy-providing nutrients is atypical for US diets.
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. How nutrient density affects the satiety value of various foods or food components is an important concept in formulating military rations.
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Water-soluble vitamins, such as ascorbic acid and folate, are subject to degradation in higher water content and water activity foods (Gregory, 1996; IOM, 2002)
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As noted in an earlier IOM report on an emergency relief food product (IOM, 2002) , shelf-life testing is an integral part of the development process.
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Some of the data, however, derive from studies in which the environment or the subjects were substantially different from the ones for which this ration is to be utilized. For example, much of the data on optimizing physical performance come from studies performed with athletes; to extrapolate the conclusions regarding athletes to highly trained soldiers deployed in short combat missions is
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From page 151... ...
This ration was designed for the rigorous operational conditions assumed, specifically, shortterm missions to which highly trained male soldiers are deployed. For health reasons, it should not be used as a substitute for other rations when military personnel are in garrison or in other types of extended missions.
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when individuals are consuming a hypocaloric diet under the environmental conditions and high-stress situations of combat missions (e.g., intense physical activity, high energy expenditure and reduced caloric intake, and hot and humid conditions)
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· Investigate and document the feasibility of using such rations in emer gency disaster, high-stress situations when adequate rations to sustain energy balance may be impossible to provide. Research on Food and Ration Development and Field Use The committee concludes that the US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine and the Natick Soldier Center should continue the existing systematic approach to ration development for combat missions.
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Paper presented at the Institute of Medicine Workshop on Optimization of Nutrient Composition of Military Rations for Short-Term, High-Stress Situations, Natick, MA. Institute of Medicine Committee on Optimization of Nutrient Composition of Military Rations for Short Term, High-Stress Situations.
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Paper presented at the Institute of Medicine Workshop on the Optimization of Nutrient Composition of Military Rations for Short-Term, High-Stress Situations, Natick, MA. Institute of Medicine Committee on Optimization of Nutrient Composition of Military Rations for Short-Term, High Stress Situations.
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Med Sci Sports Exerc 28(10)
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