The federal government on Tuesday released new dietary guidelines that keep current allocations for sugar and alcohol consumption unchanged, rejecting recommendations from its scientific advisory committee to make major cuts.
The scientific committee, made up of twenty academics and doctors, had recommended reducing the limit on sugars added to the diet to 6% of daily calories from 10% to current guidelines, citing rising rates of obesity and the link between obesity and health. . problems such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer. The committee also recommended lowering the limit for alcoholic beverages for men to one drink a day for two, coinciding with the guidelines for women. He noted an investigation linking increased alcohol consumption with an increased risk of death.
The new guidelines include the scientific committee’s recommendation that children under the age of 2 not consume any added sugars. This is the first time the guidelines include recommendations for babies and young children. The added sugars are those found in processed foods — everything from soft drinks to breakfast cereals — as well as honey and sugar itself. They do not include sugars that are found naturally in foods such as fruit and milk.
Dietary guidelines, which are updated every five years, have a broad impact: they shape school canteen programs, modify state and local health promotion efforts, and influence what food companies produce.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Health and Human Services reviewed the committee’s recommendations, which were published 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 neither added sugars nor alcohol “. “, Said Brandon Lipps, deputy undersecretary of Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services at the USDA. Lipps said the new limits recommended by the scientific committee did not meet the” preponderance of evidence “rule required by law .
Food industry groups had been pushing hard against the new limits proposed by the scientific committee. When asked if pressure from business groups had played a role in the government’s decision, Lipps said that “to the extent that stakeholders provided input on whether science was being properly reviewed, we take 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, this is what we did, ”he said.
The American Beverage Association, which represents beverage manufacturers, including Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, urged the government to maintain the 10% added sugar limit during a public meeting in August. In response to the new guidelines, the organization’s president and CEO, Katherine Lugar, said in a statement, “U.S. beverage companies appreciate the common sense approach taken by USDA.”
The alcohol industry also praised the government’s decision, with a Beer Institute spokesman praising “maintaining the long-standing definition of moderate alcohol consumption.”
Elizabeth J. Mayer-Davis, who chaired the federal committee’s added drinks and sugars subcommittee, said she was “disappointed that dietary guidelines did not adopt the 6% recommendation” as a limit for added sugars. “I think it’s a missed opportunity for a stronger public health message,” said Dr. Mayer-Davis, president of the University of North Carolina’s nutrition department at Chapel Hill.
Nigel Brockton, vice president of research at the American Cancer Research Institute, said the government’s decision not to lower the alcohol limit for men “is very disappointing. The cancer tests are so overwhelming.” Dr. Brockton said alcohol consumption increases the risk of several types of cancer (including stomach, liver, colorectal, and esophageal cancer), which are more common in men than women.
A poor diet is linked to rising rates of obesity and chronic disease, including type 2 diabetes. More than 70% of U.S. adults 20 and older are overweight or obese, according to 2015-2016 figures of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 42% are obese, according to CDC 2017-2018 data.
In general, the new dietary guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 advise people to “follow a healthy dietary pattern” that consists primarily of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean meat, and low-fat poultry and dairy products. as well as seafood, nuts and vegetable oils. They also advise limiting added sugars, saturated fats, alcoholic and sodium drinks and staying within the recommended calorie limits.
USDA and HHS launch public awareness campaign on new guidelines centered on the motto “Make every bite count”. “Our goal is to get Americans to make healthy dietary decisions every day at every meal,” Lipps said. The USDA is also launching a new MyPlate.gov website that will include a contest to show people how well their own eating habits meet dietary guidelines, as well as tools for personalized eating recommendations, healthy eating recipes. and tips for eating on a budget. .
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