New York, 1 October, 2010 A special article published today in the journal Nutrition sharply criticizes the recent Report of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC). Authors Hite et al. argue the Report fails to conform to the standards of evidence-based medicine, despite its claimed reliance on a newly created USDA Nutrition Evidence Library. The authors call the DGAC to task for failing to consider recent scientific results while at the same time further confusing the American public.
The Dietary Guidelines are the basis for the USDA Food Pyramid, and serve as the foundation for nutritional information for Americans. The Guidelines also strongly influence nutrition education, research funding, governmental meal programs including school lunches, as well as providing direction for the food industry, regulatory agencies, consumer advocates, and the media. They have been largely immune from criticism, perhaps a result of their wide application.
The DGAC Report places the blame for many of America's chronic health problems on the inability of people to follow previous Dietary Guidelines, which have changed very little since the first recommendations were made in 1977. Hite et al. explain that, in fact, nutrient consumption in the past thirty years has consistently moved in the direction of the Guidelines' recommendations for carbohydrate and fat, while calorie consumption has stayed within suggested ranges. At the same time, the rates of obesity and Type 2 Diabetes have skyrocketed.
In suggesting the need for an entirely new process, Richard David Feinman, Professor of Cell Biology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center said, "The previous Guidelines have not worked well. It is simply unreasonable to ask the DGAC to audit its own work. An external panel of scientists with no direct ties to nutritional policy would be able to do a more impartial evaluation of the data. This would be far better for everyone."
'/>"/>
| Contact: Colin Odell c.odell@elsevier.com 314-447-8130 Elsevier Source:Eurekalert |
Related biology news :
1. Rules proposed to save the worlds coral reefs
2. Wolf reintroduction proposed in Scottish Highland test case
3. Plankton Power and RTDC announce proposed algae-to-biofuels pilot facility on Cape Cod
4. Proposed mission would return sample from asteroid time capsule
5. Pay1Day Asks, Who is Writing our Proposed Consumer Protection Bill?
6. New model is proposed to explain absence of organic compounds on surface of Mars
7. A plan to promote sustainable US scientific discovery and innovation in the 21st century is proposed in OMICS
8. AMIA cites concerns about proposed HIPAA modifications
9. The dietary supplement genistein can undermine breast cancer treatment
10. Annual Bibliography of Significant Advances in Dietary Supplement Research 2007
11. Results of the third school nutrition dietary assessment study published
| Copyright © 2003-2012 Bio-Medicine. All rights reserved. ABOUT | CONTACT US | DISCLAIMER | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS AND CONDITIONS |  |