Newsletter Update | September 2023

3rd Meeting of US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Features Push for More Plant-based Foods On September 12-13, 2023, the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services (USDA-HHS) hosted the third meeting of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. The role of animal-source foods in healthy diets sparked intense debate during the period reserved for oral testimony by members of the public. At least ten commenters advocated for shifting dietary guidelines towards more plant-based patterns, citing concerns about the saturated fat content and chronic disease risk associated with animal-source foods. Some commenters proposed reimagining the protein food group to prioritize legumes, nuts, and seeds, with animal-source foods being optional. In general, the comments about dairy and meat were largely negative. By contrast, Jeff Volek of The Ohio State University spoke about adopting lower-carb lifestyles within the USDA Healthy Food Patterns to improve metabolic health and nutrient adequacy in the face of high obesity rates and chronic diseases. The Nutrition Coalition had a list of more than 10 doctors and other experts who applied to give testimony about the benefits of low-carbohydrate diets for improving metabolic health, but all of these speakers were rejected. The unfortunate reality is that the USDA-HHS are not allowing alternative viewpoints to be heard (see next story). The Nutrition Coalition has produced transcripts and videos of the meetings thus far and will continue to provide updates on the process behind the creation of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines. Op-ed: Confessions of a ‘lunch lady’ BY KRISTA BYLER I used to feel reassured when I saw “USDA” on food labels. Then I went to work in a school cafeteria. The U.S. Department of Agriculture does so much vital work. It makes sure meat, poultry and eggs are safe to eat. It also administers the National School Lunch Program, which feeds more than 30 million children every year. So far, so good, right? But here’s where my faith is being tested. The USDA is also in charge of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, purportedly evidence-based recommendations meant to “promote health and prevent disease.” In a tragic story of unintended consequences, these standards justify school meals that are making our children unhealthy. I’m referring to carb-loaded sugary breakfasts, lunches and treats, all of which technically comply with the guidelines, yet which nonetheless feed our national crisis of child obesity — which has more than tripled since 1971. Continue reading here. Documents Reveal Food Industry Has Stacked Dietary Guidelines Panel The make-up of the current Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) is largely the product of food industry lobbying, according to a report by STAT. Although committee nominations are normally kept secret, STAT discovered through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request that food companies leaning on the USDA to get their favored ‘experts’ appointed included the Potato Council, Blueberry Council, Pasta Association, Sugar Association, Mars Inc. and more. Moreover, this doesn’t appear to be the first time that food companies have nominated their preferred experts to be on the committee. STAT reports that, according to Politico, in 2019, Unilever, Barilla, and the American Beverage Association all successfully got their nominations onto the panel. The food industry’s attempts to stack the panel with their preferred researchers is troubling. Can the DGAC be trusted to act in the interest of the public health? Remember that 95% of the last DGAC was found to have at least one tie with a food or pharmaceutical company. For the current committee, the USDA-HHS has refused to release a detailed list of the conflicts of interest, leading Senator Chuck Grassley to call for a suspension of work on the Dietary Guidelines (which hasn’t happened). American Academy of Pediatrics Doesn’t Approve of Low-Carbohydrate Diets for Children and Adolescents with Diabetes Should children with diabetes be encouraged to eat a ketogenic or low-carb diet to manage their condition? The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) – the largest professional organization of pediatricians in the US – doesn’t recommend it. A clinical report published in the journal Pediatrics on September 18 advised against carbohydrate restriction for children with diabetes due to “inadequate scientific evidence” and concerns about long-term safety. The authors cited concerns that included the potential for impaired growth, nutrient deficiencies, and disordered eating in children and teens who follow ketogenic or low-carbohydrate diets. The authors acknowledged that adults with type 1 diabetes can lower their insulin requirements and decrease post-meal blood sugar levels by following a ketogenic or low-carbohydrate diet. However, they claimed that there is insufficient scientific evidence supporting this approach in youth with type 1 diabetes. A rebuttal by Harvard’s David Ludwig, MD, PhD, stated that studies have never shown that high-carbohydrate diets are more effective than those lower in carbohydrates for diabetes control in adults or children. Since carbohydrates cause blood sugars to spike more than any other dietary component, Ludwig argues that a low-carb diet is clearly a powerful option for people of any age to control their diabetes.  Dr. Ludwig reviewed the history of using low-carbohydrate diets to manage diabetes in this 2021 article. $3.5M Grant to Test Continuous Glucose Monitoring for Type 2 Diabetes The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced on Sept. 1 that it was granting $3.5 million to Dan Cox, PhD, for a long-term study testing the use of continuous glucose monitoring in people with type 2 diabetes. Unlike a blood glucose meter that only measures blood sugar at a single point in time, a continuous glucose monitor, or CGM, is a device that provides a 24-hour record of blood sugar levels. The grant was awarded based on the pilot trial that Dr. Cox and Mark Cucuzella, MD, conducted in 2022, on 17 adults with type 2 diabetes who used CGMs to guide their eating choices. After three months, nearly 70% of the participants achieved diabetes remission, meaning their HbA1c dropped below 6.5% without the use of medication. Dr. Cox explained that teaching people how food intake, beverage consumption, and exercise affect their blood sugar encourages them to make healthy choices that can improve and in many cases reverse their diabetes. He calls his approach “Glucose Every Day Matters,” or GEM. In the upcoming randomized controlled trial, 200 people recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes will be followed for five years to see whether GEM improves their blood sugar control and decreases their need for diabetes medication. Dr. Cox is a great example of his own approach, having maintained a HbA1c of less than 6% – down from 10.3% when first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes – for more than 13 years without taking any medication. Dietitian “Influencers” Are Paid By Food Industry to Promote Artificial Sweeteners and Sugary Treats A recent Washington Post article revealed that the food industry is paying registered dietitians with large social media followings to promote their sugary products. The exposé featured registered dietitians who received money for posting videos that encourage their Instagram and TikTok followers to drink diet soda, eat ice cream, and consume highly-processed products that don’t support good health. According to the dietitians interviewed for the article, they are typically paid at least a few thousand dollars for each video. Some dietitians have shared sponsored posts that encourage people to eat sugary foods, including doughnuts, cookies, and candy. The Canadian Sugar Institute paid one dietitian to post videos of herself eating sugary treats on Instagram while explaining that people’s cravings will only get worse if they deny themselves these sweets. Another dietitian, also paid by Canadian Sugar, encouraged parents to allow their kids to eat all the candy they wanted after trick-or-treating on Halloween. She wrote, “Yes, they may barf. That’s a great life lesson.” Registered dietitians are viewed as nutrition experts who provide reliable information about how to eat for optimal health. Taking money from the food industry to promote the consumption of unhealthy foods and beverages is a violation of professional standards, if not actually corrupt. Donate to the Nutrition Coalition The Nutrition Coalition is a 501(c)(3), and its EIN is 81-4498321. The Nutrition Coalition is a nonprofit, and we get the bulk of our funding from individuals like you. Hence, these requests for donations. The Nutrition Coalition The Nutrition Coalition 459 Columbus Ave. #710 New York, NY 10024 You received this email because you signed up on our website or made a contribution to us. Unsubscribe

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