HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 6th EDITION OF THE DIETARY GUIDELINES FOR AMERICANS
Introduction
On January 12, 2005, the sixth edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (Dietary Guidelines) – the federal government’s science-based advice to promote health and reduce chronic disease risk through nutrition and physical activity – was released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) (1).
The Guidelines, which has been published every five years since 1980, provides recommendations for Americans ages two years and over (2). Compared to the previous edition in 2000 (3), the 2005 Dietary Guidelines places stronger emphasis on consuming a nutrient-dense diet while staying within calorie needs, and on physical activity (1,3). This focus stems from knowledge that the major causes of morbidity and mortality in the U.S. are related to a poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle.
The impact of the Dietary Guidelines is far reaching. The 2005 Guidelines will set policy direction for the next five years for all federal government nutrition programs, including research, education, food assistance, labeling, and nutrition promotion. For example, the Dietary Guidelines is used to develop nutrition standards and nutrition-related programs such as USDA’s school meal programs (e.g., National School Lunch Program), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (i.e., WIC), and the Elderly Nutrition Program; educational materials and communications; and authoritative statements, such as those provided for in the Food and Drug Administration’s Modernization Act to support food labeling claims. All federal dietary guidance for the public is required to be consistent with the Dietary Guidelines.
The integrated messages in the new science-based 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourage most Americans to eat fewer calories, be more physically active, and make wiser food choices.
Title III of the National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5341) mandates that the Dietary Guidelines be reviewed, updated if necessary, and published every five years. As part of the process to prepare the 2005 Dietary Guidelines, a 13-member Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee conducted a comprehensive review of diet and health and prepared a report based on the best available evidence (4). The process used to develop the 2005 Dietary Guidelines was designed to ensure that the recommendations are based on the best available science, including medical science. As a result of this process, the 2005 Dietary Guidelines differs in scope and purpose from previous Guidelines. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines is a publication oriented toward policy makers, nutrition educators, nutritionists, and healthcare providers, rather than the general public, and it contains more technical information than in previous editions of the Dietary Guidelines (1-3).
This Digest provides an overview of the new science-based 2005 Dietary Guidelines, including some changes from the previous (2000) edition, and discusses new recommendations regarding the intake of milk products.
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