The U.S. dietary guidelines, updated every five years, will be updated this year (current guidelines here). Via Washington Post’s Wonk Blog.
But the Dietary Guidelines, due to be updated later this year, have come under increasingly heavy scrutiny in recent months because of doubts about their scientific underpinnings. The government’s long-standing guidance about nutritional basics such as fat, salt and cholesterol have been undermined by recent research. Members of the public filed 29,000 comments on the report filed in February by the advisory panel advising the government on the development of the guidelines.
I’m inclined to agree with this statement with respect to dietary cholesterol (although it does affect blood cholesterol levels in some people). With respect to saturated fats, the research isn’t conclusive and mainstream health organizations like the American Heart Association that associate saturated fat consumption with increased risk of cardiovascular disease maintain that position. It wouldn’t surprise me if the government’s guidance on saturated fats remains unchanged.
I’ll write something about the new guidelines after they’re published.