The federal government released new dietary guidelines on Tuesday that keep current concessions for sugar and alcohol consumption unchanged, rejecting the recommendations of its scientific advisory committee to make significant cuts.
The scientific committee, which was made up of 20 academics and doctors, recommended cutting the limit for adding sugars to the diet to 6% of daily calories from 10% in current guidelines, citing rising obesity rates and the link between obesity and health problems like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer. The committee also recommended reducing the limit on alcoholic beverages for men from two to one a day, corresponding to the guidance for women. He pointed to research that linked higher alcohol consumption to a higher risk of death.
The new guidelines include the recommendation of the scientific committee that children under the age of 2 do not consume added sugars. This is the first time that the guidelines include recommendations for babies and young children. Added sugars are those found in processed foods – in everything from soft drinks to breakfast cereals – as well as in honey and sugar itself. They do not include sugars naturally found in foods like fruits and milk.
Food guidelines, which are updated every five years, have a broad impact: they shape school lunch programs, shape state and local health promotion efforts and influence what food companies produce.
The United States Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services reviewed the committee’s recommendations, which were released in July, and decided not to include the lower limits because “the new evidence is not substantial enough to support changes in quantitative recommendations for sugars or added alcohol, ”said Brandon Lipps, USDA’s deputy assistant secretary for food, nutrition and consumer services. Lipps said the new limits recommended by the scientific committee did not meet a “preponderance of evidence” standard required by law.
Food industry groups have intensely lobbied against the new limits proposed by the scientific committee. When asked whether pressure from business groups played a role in the government’s decision, Mr. Lipps said “to the extent that stakeholders provided information on whether the science was being properly reviewed, we take this into account” and noted that the government received more than 106,000 comments from the public. “We are committed to issuing guidelines based on solid science in an open and transparent process. We believe that, at the end of the day, we did it ”, he said.
Poor diet is associated with increased rates of obesity and chronic illnesses, including type 2 diabetes. Over 70% of American adults aged 20 and over are overweight or obese, according to data from 2015- 2016 from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. About 42% are obese, according to 2017-2018 CDC data.
In general, the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 advise people to “follow a healthy eating pattern” consisting mainly of low-fat vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean meats and poultry and dairy products, as well as fruits sea, nut and vegetable oils. They also advise limiting added sugars, saturated fats, sodium and alcoholic beverages and staying within the recommended calorie limits.
The USDA and HHS are launching a public awareness campaign on the new guidelines around the slogan “Make every bite count.” “Our goal is to make Americans make healthy food choices every day, at every meal,” said Lipps. The USDA is also launching a new MyPlate.gov website that will include a questionnaire to show people how their own eating habits meet dietary guidelines, as well as tools to get personalized dietary recommendations, recipes for healthy meals and tips for eating inside. budget.
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