Experts ‘disappointed’ over new US diet guidelines on sugar, alcohol intake limits
The federal government revealed updated dietary guidelines for Americans on Tuesday that includes for the first time recommendations for infants and toddlers.
The Department of Agriculture and Health and Human Services together published the 164-page document that will now serve as the basis of school lunch programs, nutrition education efforts, national health objectives and even disease prevention initiatives for the next five years until an updated version is released.
Government officials say the new guidelines bring nutrition in America “a major step forward,” but nutritionists and other health experts aren’t convinced that’s the case.
A group of 20 “distinguished scientists” were hired as part of a “2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee” to offer science-based advice on what to eat and drink with goals of reducing risk of disease and meeting nutrient needs.
For the most part, the new guidelines mirror previous versions but two controversial topics stood out to experts regarding added sugars and alcohol intake.
The scientific committee said Americans should consume less than 6% of daily calories from added sugars — a reduction from 10% in previous guidelines. They say these added sugars, coming mostly from sweetened drinks, desserts, coffee and tea, candy and breakfast cereals and bars, are responsible for unhealthy weight gain and rising rates of obesity.
But the federal government didn’t heed the expert recommendations, saying “there was not a preponderance of evidence in the material the committee reviewed to support specific changes, as required by law,” according to a news release.
The committee also suggested tightening alcohol consumption limits for men from two drinks per day to one drink — the same recommendation for women — on days when alcohol is consumed.
The government also didn’t take this advice and kept the same limitations from previous guidelines.
“I’m stunned by the whole thing,” Marion Nestle, a professor emerita of nutrition and food studies at New York University, told The New York Times. “Despite repeated claims that the guidelines are science-based, the Trump agencies ignored the recommendation of the scientific committee they had appointed, and instead reverted to the recommendation of the previous guidelines.”
“Those were big changes, and they got all the attention when the report came out last summer for very good reasons — and they were ignored in the final report,” Dr. Nestle added.
The government did accept scientific advice that said children younger than 2 should avoid foods and drinks with added sugars altogether.
The first-time advice for youngsters also says infants and toddlers should:
Consume only human milk for the first six months of life
Be given supplemental vitamin D soon after birth
Be introduced to potentially allergenic foods
Limit intake of foods and drinks high in sodium
Elizabeth Mayer-Davis, former chair of the federal committee’s beverages and added sugars subcommittee, told the Wall Street Journal she was “disappointed that the dietary guidelines did not adopt the recommendation of 6%” as the limit for added sugars.
“I think it is a lost opportunity for a stronger public health message,” said Mayer-Davis, chair of the department of nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
On the other hand, companies behind the sugary drinks are grateful for the unchanged limitations.
“America’s beverage companies appreciate the common sense approach taken by USDA in the 2020 U.S. Dietary Guidelines and look forward to continuing their work with government and public health groups to help people balance their diets and moderate sugar,” said Katherine Lugar, president and chief executive of the American Beverage Association, the group that represents Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, among others, according to the Journal.
Generally, the new guidelines say to limit foods and drinks higher in added sugar, saturated fat and sodium, and to limit alcoholic beverages.
They also suggested pregnant women eat at least eight to 12 ounces of a variety of seafood per week that are lower in methylmercury and higher in omega-3 fatty acids. This recommendation is in line with existing ones, the document said.
