The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee ("DGAC") recently released the Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (the "Advisory Report") to the Secretaries of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ("HHS") and the USDA. The agencies will rely on the Advisory Report in developing the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015, to be jointly released by HHS and USDA later this year. New dietary guidelines have been published every five years since 1980 and form the basis of federal nutrition policy, education, outreach, and food assistance programs used by consumers, industry, nutrition educators, and health professionals.
Against the backdrop of data showing that over two-thirds of Americans are obese or overweight, DGAC has eased some of the previous restrictions on fat and cholesterol, while at the same time recommending stricter limits on the amount of added sugar. In doing so, DGAC has aligned itself with other major health groups such as the American Heart Association, which recently backed away from dietary cholesterol restrictions, instead focusing on reducing added sugars. In the Advisory Report, DGAC concludes that "a healthy dietary pattern is higher in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low- or non-fat dairy, seafood, legumes, and nuts; moderate in alcohol (among adults); lower in red and processed meats; and low in sugar-sweetened foods and drinks and refined grains." But the Advisory Report focuses less on individual nutrients and more on overall patterns of eating, highlighting Mediterranean-style and vegetarian diets. DGAC further notes that such plant-based diets are more environmentally sustainable.
Notably, DGAC for the first time recommends that Americans limit their added sugars to no more than 10 percent of daily calories (roughly 12 teaspoons per day) due to the link between added sugar and obesity and chronic disease. Americans currently consume 22 to 30 teaspoons of added sugar daily. Along those lines, DGAC recommends removing sugary drinks from schools and endorses a proposed FDA rule that would require a distinct line for added sugars on food nutrition labels. The Advisory Report also recommends unsaturated fat—found in fish, nuts, and olive and vegetable oils—instead of saturated fat—found primarily in animal foods. The advice against saturated fat has received criticism in light of several recent studies that cast doubt on the link between saturated fat and heart disease.
The Advisory Report is open for comment until April 8, 2015.
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