Newsletter Update | November 2020
- Nutrition Coalition Asks for A Warning Label on next Dietary Guidelines: “For Healthy Americans ONLY.”
- BMJ on Former Guidelines' Committee Members Calling For End to Sat Fats Caps
- Analysis of 2020 Guidelines Process Finds Science Drawn Mostly from White Populations
- Limited Screening! Don't miss seeing this excellent film: Sacred Cow, on how “better meat” can help the environment
Dietary Guidelines Needs a Warning Label: "For Healthy Americans Only"
In anticipation of the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) being released before the end of the year, The Nutrition Coalition recently wrote a letter to the Secretaries of the Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services (USDA-HHS) asking them to include a prominent warning label on the upcoming DGA to make clear that the recommendations are "For Healthy Americans Only.”
The DGA has long limited its advice to be for "prevention only” and not for the treatment of chronic diseases. This means that, during the 2020 DGA process, the science on disease treatment was simply not reviewed. Further, the 2020 DGA Advisory Committee made the decision to exclude all studies on weight loss,[1] even though historically, one of the Guidelines’ principal goals has been to help people “reach and maintain a healthy weight.”[2]
The implication is that for the 60% of Americans diagnosed with diet-related chronic diseases, including the 42.4% of the adults with obesity, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines are not for them.[3]
Many people understand that a diet for a healthy person is not the same as one for someone whose metabolism has tipped into ill-health. The DGA’s guidance to consume six servings of grains per day, including three servings of refined grains, plus up to 10% of calories as sugar, cannot be tolerated by a person with diabetes, for example. Unhealthy Americans need to know that the Guidelines provide inappropriate advice for their conditions.
Chronic diseases are the leading cause of death and disability in the U.S., costing $3.5 trillion annually. Obesity alone accounts for nearly 21% of all annual medical spending in the U.S.
The fact that the Guidelines have not reviewed nutrition science for treating disease is especially problematic given our current battle with Covid-19. Diet-related diseases, including obesity, diabetes and hypertension, have consistently shown to dramatically increase the risk of complications for Covid-19, including higher rates of hospitalization and death.[4] People with these diseases urgently need to receive dietary advice appropriate for their conditions.
To support these efforts, click this link HERE. This is our last effort—the last time we will be asking for you to lend your voice. Despite our efforts, we realize now that we cannot change the DGA to reflect the best and most current science, but we can at least try to restrict their overreach. Read more and speak up, one last time.
BMJ: US nutritionists call for dietary guideline limits on saturated fat intake to be lifted
An article published in the BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal) highlights an important letter from leading nutritionists, including three former members of previous Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committees (DGACs), including the Chair of the 2005 DGAC, calling on members of Congress to “urgently rethink” the 2020 DGA, in particular the caps on saturated fats—currently limited to 10% of calories. The scientists' letter to Congress points out that “there is no strong scientific evidence that the current population-wide upper limits on commonly consumed saturated fats in the US will prevent cardiovascular disease or reduce mortality. A continued limit on these fats is not justified.” This letter is based on a paper, by the same authors, called a “State of the Art Review” on saturated fats, recently published in the prestigious Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The letter itself can be viewed here.
Analysis Shows Science Behind Guidelines Does Not Take into Consideration Race, Ethnicity, and/or Socio/Economic Status. Most Studies on White, Middle-Class Populations
A recent in-depth analysis by the Food4Health Alliance shows that more than 90% of the 56 systematic reviews with significant findings in the Scientific Report by the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee did not account for race, ethnicity, and/or socio-economic status. Moreover, they relied on predominantly white populations, which are questionably generalizable to the broader US population.
Congress intended for the Dietary Guidelines to be for the “general public,” yet today, the public is more than one quarter (26%) non-white, including nearly 13% black/African American and 17.6% Hispanic/Latinx. These populations have seldom been included or accounted for in the studies reviewed in the 2020 DGA report.
The disturbing implication is that the 2020-2025 DGA will be questionably appropriate for historically disadvantaged populations.
Exclusive Film Preview: Sacred Cow, a pivotal food and environment film will be available for a limited time
Filmmaker, dietician, and writer Diana Rodgers has been working for years to get the word out about the importance of sustainability when it comes to diet, and she has just finished her book and documentary film, both entitled Sacred Cow, that addresses this complex, yet critically important topic.
Beef is framed as the most environmentally destructive and least healthy of foods, but while many argue in favor of greatly reducing, or even eliminating meat from our diets, Sacred Cow takes a critical look at the assumptions and information presented about meat.
Sacred Cow will be available for viewing for a limited time from November 22 through November 30. Simply head over to this page, enter your email, and you’ll be set to receive the film in your inbox on the 22nd.
Biden USDA Transition Team Announced
We don’t know many of the people on this list, yet we are hopeful given that the administration-elect has pledged itself to elevating the importance of good science.
That said, we note the participation of the Good Food Institute, based in Berkeley, CA, a group that works extensively with industries developing meat alternatives.
We also note the presence of Deb Eschmeyer, who led Michelle Obama's successful efforts to eliminate whole and 2% milk from the National School Lunch Program as well as require low-salt meals for children.
YOUR VOICE MATTERS. ONE LAST CHANCE TO TAKE ACTION!
There are only a few short weeks before we expect the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) to be released. It is therefore our last opportunity to act--and the LAST TIME we will be asking you to take action.
Our final request is to Congress—to ask that the 2020-2025 Guidelines carry a prominent warning label, to let people know that the Guidelines are “For Healthy Americans Only.”
Your voices have been critically important throughout this process, and we’ve clearly had an impact. Members of Congress have written letters to the USDA-HHS asking for changes to the Guidelines, to improve methodological rigor and to revisit the caps on saturated fats. Due to our efforts, many members of Congress are now aware of the problems with the Guidelines, and this will bode well for the future. Together, we’ve made it impossible for Congress to pretend that the Guidelines comprehensively reflect the best and most current science—or that this policy applies to all Americans.
We know now that we can't fix the 2020 Guidelines. But we can urge Congress to restrain the DGA's reach. Thank you again for you continued support and action on this critically important issue. We are so grateful for your efforts. Please join us in one last push to reform the DGA.
Please Donate
The Nutrition Coalition would be grateful for your support! Like so many others, we’ve have had to cut back during this difficult time. If you are one of the fortunate people with something to give, we hope that you might consider a donation! Reducing diet-related diseases has always been urgent, perhaps now more than ever. We believe there is still good reason to hope that we can make a difference for these 2020 Guidelines.
Footnotes:
Public meeting of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, March 23, 2020, https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a4d5666bff20053c65b7ff2/t/5e73d18616772f0fd8940644/1584648584430/March+12%2 C+2020+-+Afternoon+Session+-+2020+Dietary+Guidelines+Advisory+Committee+Public+Meeting.pdf, Minute 29:16
https://health.gov/our-work/food-nutrition/about-dietary-guidelines, Accessed, Oct 15, 2020.
https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/infographic/chronic-diseases.htm
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The Nutrition Coalition is a nonprofit educational organization working to strengthen national nutrition policy so that it is founded upon a comprehensive body of conclusive science, and where that science is absent, to encourage additional research. We accept no money from any interested industry.