WattAgNet: Dietary guidelines: Eggs are fine, but limit meat consumption

The 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee has submitted its recommendations to Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, in order to inform the 2015 edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

The dietary guidelines back away from earlier guidelines that suggest avoiding foods high in cholesterol like eggs, while also recommending that Americans continue to limit the amount of meat consumed in meals.

Committee says no need to avoid eggs

The panel of nutrition and public health experts has recommended the withdrawal of a long-standing recommendation that Americans should avoid foods that are high in cholesterol -- advice that has put eggs off-limits for heart-healthy consumers for decades. The panel cited mounting research that consumption of cholesterol-rich foods, such as eggs, has little bearing on overall levels of cholesterol circulating in the bloodstream. Cholesterol from the diet represents only about 20 percent of the cholesterol circulating in the human bloodstream, and thus lowering cholesterol intake will affect blood cholesterol levels only marginally.

Guidelines call for less meat in diet

The committee also recommended that people continue a dietary shift from meat-heavy meals to more plant-based foods, defining a healthy diet as one that is “lower in red and processed meats; and low in sugar-sweetened foods and drinks and refined grains.”

However, the report does not call for the end of meat in U.S. diets, adding, “that no food groups need to be eliminated completely to improve sustainability outcomes over the current status

Public input on dietary guidelines sought

Vilsack and Burwell have released the advisory committee's recommendations report online, making it available for public review and comment. The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA) will consider this report, along with input from other federal agencies and comments from the public as they develop the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015, to be released later in 2015.

"For decades, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans have been at the core of our efforts to promote the health and well-being of American families," said Secretaries Burwell and Vilsack in a joint statement. "Now that the advisory committee has completed its recommendations, HHS and USDA will review this advisory report, along with comments from the public-including other experts-and input from other federal agencies as we begin the process of updating the guidelines."

The public is encouraged to view the independent advisory group's report and provide written comments at www.DietaryGuidelines.gov for a period of 45 days after publication in the Federal Register. The public will also have an opportunity to offer oral comments at a public meeting in Bethesda, Maryland, on March 24, 2015. Those interested in providing oral comments at the March 24, 2015, public meeting can register on the same website. Capacity is limited, so participants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

About the dietary guidelines and advisory committee

The 14 outside experts who made up the committee are nationally recognized in the fields of nutrition, medicine and public health. The committee held seven public meetings over the past two years. The recommendations of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee are non-binding and advisory to HHS and USDA as they draft the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015.

The HHS Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion has the administrative lead for the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015, which it carries out in close partnership with the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion and with support from USDA's Agricultural Research Service.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans was first published in 1980. Beginning in 1990, Congress mandated that HHS and USDA release a new edition at least every five years. The Dietary Guidelines contain the latest, science-based nutrition recommendations for the general public with the goal of preventing disease and promoting healthy, active lifestyles. It is written for and used primarily by nutrition and health professionals, policy makers and educators, and is the foundation for federal nutrition efforts, including education initiatives and food assistance programs.