- Nutrition Debate The U S Gove Is Anyone Listening A Further Concern Is The Potential For Conflicts Of Interest To Aris 1 (103.61 KiB) Viewed 59 times
nutrition debate the U.S. Gove Is Anyone Listening? A further concern is the potential for conflicts of interest to arise within the UDSA when developing the guidelines. In other words, do industry groups such as the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and the American Beverage Association "purchase recommendations or limitations on recommendations--that favor their profits over public health? Experts have argued that, to protect their profit margin, lobbyists from the food and agricultural industries exert undue influence over the Guidelines, and that this influence has prompted officials from the USDA to disregard or minimize sci entific evidence of the benefits or health risks of various foods." limitations of the DGAS and MyPlate might be, a bigger No matter what the strengths and question arises--is anyone listening Early research examining this question in the context of the 2005 DGAS The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAS) were released in January 2016. They continue to be accom- panied by the MyPlate graphic and web- site (www.chooseMyPlate.gov) that were released in 2011 to support the 2010 DGAS. These tools were designed to be practical and user-friendly, so that they would help people to eat more healthfully and reduce their risk for obesity and other chronic diseases. But are they based on scientific consensus! And do people actually consult them for meal planning, shopping, or eating out? Moreover, is there any evi- The Dietary Guidelines for dence that the DGAs and MyPlate improve Americans can help consumers the if To begin to answer these questions, consumers actually use them. let's review the changes made in revising the 2010 DGAs into the 2015-2020 DGAS: Instead of focusing on food groups and nutrients, the updated DGAs recommend following a healthful eating pattern. They remind consumers that every food and beverage choice influences their health Specifically, the updated DGAs advise limiting intake of added sugars to less than 10% of total daily energy intake. They also suggest consuming less than 10% of total energy from saturated fat; however, in recognition of the health benefits of unsaturated fats, the 2010 upper limit for total energy intake from fat is gone. use these tools to design their diets; however, the lim. The 2010 recommendation to limit dietary cholesterol ited evidence currently available suggests that only a Intake to 300 mg per day is also gone, the recommenda- minority of people are even aware of them, let alone tion now states that individuals should consume as little use them in their daily lives. Clearly, more research is needed to determine whether Americans follow the DGA dietary cholesterol as possible. and MyPlate recommendations, and if so, whether these Despite these updates, concerns are being expressed changes have a positive impact on public health. Until about the failure of the 2015-2020 DGAs to include all of such evidence is assessed, the debate about their value the recommendations put forth in the report of the Dietary will continue. Guidelines Advisory Committee, which is the commit- cee that reviewed the current scientific evidence on the CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS mpact of diet and health. Two omissions of concern are the 1. How would you redesign and market MyPlate to make Following: it more useful and accessible to the general public? A recommendation to reduce consumption of red and 2. Do you think any federal guidelines can make a processed meat. This recommendation was made difference in how Americans eat? If so, why? If because of the association of red and processed meat not, how might the money used to develop these intake with increased risk for cardiovascular disease and guidelines be better spent? 3. Conduct your own research into how well the 2015- some cancers, as well as to support a more sustainable and secure food supply. (For more information on the 2020 DGAS" follow the recommendations put forth in the Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines environmental costs of beef production, see Chapter 13.) Advisory Committee. Identify at least two areas of A recommendation to reduce consumption of sugar- discrepancy not discussed in this debate. sweetened beverages. This recommendation reflects the association of high intake of sugar-sweetened beverages with increased risks for obesity and type 2 diabetes, found that less than half of Americans 17 years of age and older had even heard of them. A more recent study exploring this question after the publication of the 2010 DGAs and 2011 MyPlate found that, despite media coverage. awareness of these tools was less than 25% in those sampled, including only about 6% in college students The goal of the DGAs and MyPlate is to help reduce obesity and chronic disease in the United States. The primary assumption made is that people will actually 5