What is the recommended daily calcium requirement for a sedentary Indian woman?

RRB Nsg. Superintendent -29 April-2025 (shift-2nd)

Applied Nutrition & Dietetics

Easy

Appeared in: RRB Nsg. Superintendent -29 April-2025 (shift-2nd)

Explanation

Based on the ICMR 2010 guidelines, the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for calcium for an adult Indian woman is 600 mg/day.
This recommendation applies to all adult women, irrespective of their activity level (sedentary, moderate, or heavy work).
While newer 2020 guidelines recommend 1000 mg/day, this value is not present in the options. Therefore, 600 mg/day is the correct choice as it aligns with the widely tested 2010 standards.

Option A: This amount is significantly lower than the recommended dietary allowance for an adult woman and is insufficient for maintaining bone health.
Option C: While closer, this is still below the 600 mg/day recommendation from the 2010 ICMR guidelines. It was the RDA for children aged 4-6 years in some older guidelines.
Option D: This value does not correspond to the Indian RDA for any standard adult category in either the 2010 or 2020 guidelines.

Visual 1: Infographic: A chart comparing the ICMR 2010 and ICMR-NIN 2020 calcium recommendations for different life stages (infants, children, adults, pregnancy, lactation). This helps visualize the changes in guidelines and understand the context of exam questions.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Calcium in Indian Adults as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Nurses must be aware of the correct RDA for calcium to provide accurate dietary counseling and help prevent conditions like osteoporosis, especially in post-menopausal women.
It is crucial for nurses to know both the old (2010) and new (2020) ICMR guidelines, as exam questions may be based on either, and clinical practice should follow the most current recommendations.
Patient education should include advising on calcium-rich food sources like milk, yogurt, ragi, and leafy green vegetables to meet daily requirements.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key components of the question: the nutrient (calcium), the population (Indian woman), and any other descriptors (sedentary).
Recognize that questions on nutrition for the Indian population refer to the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) set by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
Note that for many basic nutrients like calcium, the RDA for adults is not stratified by activity level. The term 'sedentary' is often a distractor.
Recall or look for the relevant ICMR RDA value. The most current (2020) is 1000 mg/day for adult women.
Analyze the options. If the most current value (1000 mg) is not listed, consider if the question is based on older guidelines. The previous standard (ICMR 2010) was 600 mg/day.
Select the option that matches the most plausible guideline being tested, which in this case is 600 mg/day from the 2010 recommendations.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Calcium in Indian Adults
Stem keywords: calcium requirement, sedentary, Indian woman
Lead-in keywords: What is

Q-iJzOeg8OSLOa5yPMWYzg