In 1980, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the irst edition of Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These Dietary Guidelines were different from previous dietary guidance in that they relected emerging scientiic evidence about diet and health and expanded the traditional focus on nutrient adequacy to also address the impact of diet on chronic disease.
Subsequent editions of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans have been remarkably consistent in their recommendations about the components of a health-promoting diet, but they also have changed in some signiicant ways to relect an evolving body of evidence about nutrition, the food and physical activity environment, and health. The ultimate goal of the Dietary Guidelines for Americansis to improve the health of our Nation’s current and future genera-tions by facilitating and promoting healthy eating and physical activity choices so that these behaviors become the norm among all individuals.
The recommendations contained in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans traditionally have been intended for healthy Americans ages 2 years and older. However, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 is being released at a time of rising concern about the health of the American population. Its recom-mendations accommodate the reality that a large percentage of Americans are overweight or obese and/or at risk of various chronic diseases. Therefore, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010is intended for Americans ages 2 years and older, including those who are at increased risk of chronic disease.
Poor diet and physical inactivity are the most impor-tant factors contributing to an epidemic of overweight and obesity in this country. The most recent data indicate that 72 percent of men and 64 percent of women are overweight or obese, with about one-third of adults being obese. Even in the absence of over-weight, poor diet and physical inactivity are associ-ated with major causes of morbidity and mortality. These include cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and some types of cancer. Some racial and ethnic population groups are disproportionately affected by the high rates of overweight, obesity, and associated chronic diseases. These diet and health associations make a focus on improved nutrition and physical activity choices ever more urgent. These associations also provide important opportunities to reduce health disparities through dietary and physical activity changes.
Dietary Guidelines for Americansalso recognizes that in recent years nearly 15 percent of American house-holds have been unable to acquire adequate food to meet their needs because of insuficient money or other resources for food. This dietary guidance can help them maximize the nutritional content of their meals within their resource constraints. Many other Americans consume less than optimal intake of certain nutrients, even though they have adequate resources for a healthy diet. This dietary guidance and nutrition information can help them choose a healthy, nutritionally adequate diet.
Children are a particularly important focus of the Dietary Guidelines for Americansbecause of the growing body of evidence documenting the vital role that optimal nutrition plays throughout the lifespan. Today, too many children are consuming diets with too many calories and not enough nutrients and are not getting enough physical activity. Approximately 32 percent of children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 years are overweight or obese, with 17 percent of children being obese. In addition, risk factors for adult chronic diseases are increasingly found in younger ages. Eating patterns established in child-hood often track into later life, making early inter-vention on adopting healthy nutrition and physical activity behaviors a priority.
DeveloPing the Dietary GuiDelines for americans, 2010
Because of their focus on health promotion and disease risk reduction, the Dietary Guidelines form the basis for nutrition policy in Federal food, educa-tion, and information programs. By law (Public Law 101-445, Title III, 7 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.), the Dietary Guidelines for Americansis reviewed, updated if necessary, and published every 5 years. The process to create each edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americansis a joint effort of the USDA and HHS and has evolved to include three stages.
In the irst stage, an external scientiic Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) is appointed to conduct an analysis of new scientiic information on diet and health and to prepare a report summarizing its indings. The Committee’s analysis is the primary resource for the two Departments in developing the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.The 2010 DGAC used a systematic evidence-based review methodology involving a web-based electronic system to facilitate its review of the scientiic literature and address approximately 130 scientiic questions. The methodological rigor of each study included in the analysis was assessed, and the body of evidence supporting each question was summarized, synthesized, and graded by the Committee. The DGAC used data analyses, food pattern modeling analyses, and reviews of other evidence-based reports to address an additional 50 questions.
The DGAC report presents a thorough review of key nutrition, physical activity, and health issues, includ-ing those related to energy balance and weight man-agement; nutrient adequacy; fatty acids and cho-lesterol; protein; carbohydrates; sodium, potassium, and water; alcohol; and food safety and technology. Following its completion in June 2010, the DGAC report was made available to the public and Federal agencies for comment. For more information about the process and the Committee’s review, see the Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010.
During the second stage, the Departments develop the policy document, Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The audiences for this document include policymak-ers, nutrition educators, nutritionists, and health care providers. Similar to previous editions, the 2010 edition of Dietary Guidelines for Americans is based on the Advisory Committee’s report and a consideration of public and Federal agency comments. The Dietary Guidelines science-based recommendations are used for program and policy development. In the third and inal stage, the two Departments develop messages and materials communicating the Dietary Guidelines to the general public.
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