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December 16, 2014

Presentations made at the seventh and final meeting of the federal government's Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee indicate that the next version of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans will likely have strong advice for Americans to cut back on added sugars, salt, and saturated fat. The committee recommended that people should consume diets rich in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, lower in red and processed meat, and low in sugar-sweetened foods and beverages and refined grains.

Slides presented by the committee's added-sugars working group summarize strong evidence that added sugars, especially sugar-sweetened beverages, increase the risks for obesity and type 2 diabetes. The group found moderate evidence linking added sugars to hypertension, stroke, heart disease, and other problems. Water is the preferred beverage choice, according to the committee. Importantly, for the first time, the DGAC recommended that people limit sugar to 10 percent of their calories, or about 50 grams—12 teaspoons—per day for someone consuming 2,000 calories. It also recommended that Nutrition Facts panels express added sugars not only in grams but also in teaspoons, which CSPI said is far easier for people to understand.

The DGAC stressed the need to consume less sugar-sweetened beverages. "The recommendation to limit added sugars, especially sugar-sweetened beverages, is consistent with recommendations from national and international organizations," according to the presentation.

"Soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages are unlike most things in the diet in that they provide nothing of value, but are major drivers of diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and other health problems," said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson. "It’s encouraging to see the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee use such strong language recommending reduced consumption of those beverages."

CSPI was also encouraged to see some of the committee’s statements related to salt and sodium.

"Given the well-documented relationship between sodium intake and high blood pressure, sodium intake should be reduced and combined with a healthful dietary pattern," read one slide presented from the committee’s sodium working group. The working group concluded that strong evidence links a higher sodium intake with increased blood pressure, and moderate evidence links a higher sodium intake with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

"A strong recommendation for Americans to consume less sodium—and for sodium-reduction strategies consistent with the 2010 recommendations from the Institute of Medicine—is perhaps the most important thing that could spring from the next dietary guidelines," Jacobson said.

The 2010 IOM study recommended that the Food and Drug Administration gradually implement sodium reductions in various categories of food.

One shortcoming in the DGAC presentation was its endorsement of aspartame, according to CSPI. CSPI has urged the Food and Drug Administration to ban the artificial sweetener because three rodent tests and one human study that indicate it probably causes cancer in people. CSPI had also urged the DGAC to recommend, as the FDA did in the 1980s, that pregnant women avoid caffeine altogether; instead the committee recommends that women limit caffeine to no more than 200 milligrams per day.

A presentation from the DGAC's food sustainability and safety working group recognized the impact of foods and beverages on environmental outcomes.

"A dietary pattern higher in plant-based foods, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, and lower in animal-based foods, is more health promoting and is associated with lesser environmental impact than is the current average U.S. diet," according to the presentation.

The fate of that recommendation is uncertain given that Congress included a directive in the recently passed "cromnibus" spending bill directing the Administration to "reject" any recommendations on "environmental or production" factors in the next dietary guidelines.

"The committee's recommendations likely will draw fire from the sugar, corn, and soft drinks industries, as well as the Grocery Manufacturers Association," Jacobson said. "And the emphasis on the importance of consuming a more-plant-based diet will likely be attacked by the meat industry."