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Summary The 1981 FAO/WHO/UNU report on protein and energy requirements makes significant advances in the application of science. Here it is summarized and reviewed with emphasis on areas of uncertainty and differences in approach since 1971. The convenient procedures for making estimates of energy requirements leave out some important minor factors, thus allowing debate and reconsideration of when and how they can be accounted for properly. Judgements are made when appropriate data is unavailable, for example protein requirements in the elderly. A controversial issue may be a health judgement, which could be interpreted to mean that increased physical activity rather than low‐calorie diets is the route to lowering the prevalence of obesity and improving long‐term health.
Geoffrey Livesey (1987) studied this question.