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August 2012
If you’re consuming too much sodium and too little potassium, you’re not alone. A new study says more than 99.99% of Americans fail to meet recommended guidelines for both minerals. Using national nutrition survey data from 2003-2008 on 12,038 adults, University of Washington researchers concluded that only 0.015% of the study population got the recommended amounts of potassium while staying below sodium maximums. The latest dietary guidelines advise getting 4,700 mg of potassium daily and restricting sodium to 2,300 mg daily (1,500 mg for high-risk individuals, African-Americans and those over age 50). Researchers concluded, “Dealing with 99.985% noncompliance will be a challenge for public health practitioners. Reducing the sodium content of the US diet may be a challenge for the food industry…. Future dietary guidelines might also note whether the proposed goals are intended as realistic or aspirational.” — American Journal of Clinical Nutrition…
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June 2012
The debate over whether healthy eating really costs more continues. Following a recent USDA report that healthier choices cost less when measured by weight or portion size, not calories, University of Washington researchers fired back with a study of their own. Based on an analysis of dietary intakes of 2,000 Seattle adults, Adam Drewnowski and colleagues concluded that “nutrients commonly associated with a lower risk of chronic disease were associated with higher diet costs. By contrast, nutrients associated with higher disease risk were associated with lower diet costs.” Healthy nutrients that cost the most included vitamin C, beta carotene, potassium and magnesium — nutrients primarily obtained from fruits and vegetables. Cheaper diets tended to be higher in saturated fats, trans fats and added sugars. The report added, “Based on current eating habits, compliance with dietary guidelines is likely to entail higher diet costs for the consumer.” — PLoS ONE
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January 2012
Those new labels can’t cone any too soon, judging by a new CDC report that gives Americans’ diet a failing grade. The Healthy Eating Index, comparing how people actually eat against the 2005 Dietary Guidelines, scored the typical US diet at only 60 points out of a possible 100. The only categories in which US adults are getting enough are total grains and meat and beans; we’re falling short on everything else, especially dark green and orange vegetables and whole grains. What are we consuming instead? Too many calories from sugary foods and alcohol, along with too much sodium. Overall, women scored better on the Healthy Eating Index than men, and people age 60 and up did better on fruit and vegetable intake and calories from sugar and alcohol. The index was based on data from 4,448 adults participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
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November 2011
Just as the federal government updated its food pyramid with the new MyPlate, Tufts nutrition experts have introduced a corresponding MyPlate for Older Adults. The new guide, which replaces the Modified MyPyramid for Older Adults, calls attention to the unique nutritional and physical activity needs associated with advancing years. MyPlate for Older Adults provides examples of foods that contain high levels of vitamins and minerals per serving and are consistent with the federal government’s 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Unique components of the system for older adults include icons for regular physical activity and emphasis on adequate fluid intake, both of particular concern for older adults. Like the original MyPlate, fruits and vegetables make up half of the MyPlate for Older Adults. But added icons represent frozen, pre-peeled fresh, dried and certain low-sodium, low-sugar canned options, which are equally nutritious while being easier to prepare, more affordable and having a longer shelf life. Suggested alternatives to salt, such as flavoring with spices and choosing low-sodium options, recognize the importance of older Americans keeping blood pressure in check. — USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging
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June 2011
Your mom was right about fiber — and not just its digestive benefits. New findings from the National Cancer Institute link fiber intake, especially from grains, to a reduced risk of dying from cardiovascular, respiratory and even infectious diseases. The longevity-promoting effects of fiber, researchers speculate, may be linked to its anti-inflammatory properties. The researchers looked at about 9 years of data on 219,123 men and 168,999 women participating in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study. Overall, people with the highest fiber intake — 30 grams a day for men, 25 grams a day for women — were 22% less likely to die from all causes over the study period than those eating less fiber. For specific diseases, those with the highest fiber intake saw lower risks of death ranging from 24%-59%. Scientist said the findings support the benefits from the latest Dietary Guidelines’ recommendations to consume at least 14 grams of dietary fiber per 1,000 daily calories. — Archives of Internal Medicine
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June 2011
You already know that the omega-3 fats found in fish (DHA and EPA) are good for your heart — but how much do you need to see a benefit? A new review of 8 previous studies says a daily intake of 250 mg of omega-3s seems to be the threshold. In people initially free of known coronary heart disease, that level of DHA plus EPA was associated with a 35% lower risk of sudden cardiac death and a 17% lower rate of total fatal coronary events. Although there is no official US Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) for these omega-3s, the 250 mg level echoes a 2009 recommendation from the European Food Safety Authority. The new US dietary guidelines recommend eating 8-12 ounces of seafood weekly, “which provide an average consumption of 250 mg per day of EPA and DHA.” Researchers emphasized that in their analysis, 250 mg daily “should be considered a minimum, not an optimum, level of consumption.” (British Journal of Nutrition)
Meanwhile, consumers seem to be getting the message: According to the Packaged Facts market-research firm, omega-3s ranked behind only fiber and calcium in a recent survey of what consumers say they look for when trying to eat more healthily. The firm says US retail sales of products making omega-3 package claims (including the plant-based omega-3 ALA) increased 11% last year to almost $4 billion. That total is expected to approach $7 billion by 2015.
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June 2011
The familiar if sometimes confusing food pyramid has gone the way of the pharaohs, replaced by a new official icon to remind Americans how to eat right: MyPlate. In unveiling the symbol along with USDA chief Tom Vilsack and US Surgeon General Dr. Regina M. Benjamin, First Lady Michelle Obama said, “When it comes to eating, what’s more simple than a plate?” If an American’s actual plate of food mirrors the produce-heavy icon, she added, “then we’re good, it’s as simple as that.” The stylized plate graphic is divided into four wedges, representing fruits and vegetables (which take up more than half of the “plate”), grains and “protein” (meaning sources such as meat, poultry and fish). In a dramatic shift from how most Americans plan their meals, the “protein” wedge represents only about a quarter of the plate. A circle adjoining the plate icon adds a place for dairy, such as a glass of reduced-fat milk. The USDA will roll out MyPlate with a new website, choosemyplate.gov, and healthy-eating tips that build on the messages of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, released in January…
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April 2011
Although the 2010 US dietary guidelines shied away from an expert committee’s recommendation that Americans “move to a more plant-based diet,” the latest British advice is more blunt about reducing red-meat intake. In its first update on meat consumption since 1998, the UK’s Department of Health advised people to eat no more than 500 grams (1.1 pounds) of red meat per week, or 70 grams (2.5 ounces) daily. That’s a sharp decrease from previous recommendations to limit consumption to 90 grams a day, which also said that only Britons averaging more than 140 grams of red meat daily needed to worry. The change was prompted by a report from the independent expert Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, which concluded that eating red and processed meat likely increases the risk of bowel cancer. The health department’s chief medical officer said, “Red meat can be part of a healthy balanced diet…. But people who eat a lot of red and processed meat should consider cutting down.”
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February 2011
Consumers know that whole grains are good for you — but after that, knowledge tends to give way to confusion, according to a new General Mills study of 1,010 US adults. More than half of those surveyed said they specifically shop for whole-grain products, and 61% think they're getting enough whole grains in their diets. The expert committee for the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, however, reported that only 5% of US consumers actually get the recommended 3 daily servings of whole grains. Part of the problem, the General Mills study revealed, may be confusion about identifying whole grains in the grocery store: Only 16% knew that terms like "enriched flour," "multigrain" and "100% wheat" (as opposed to "100% whole wheat") don't necessarily mean a product contains whole grains. And 17% incorrectly said that whole-grain products are always organic, when in fact there's no connection.
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January 2011
The American Heart Association has joined the chorus of health experts calling for even-lower limits on daily salt intake. In a new advisory, the association said all Americans should aim for no more than 1,500 mg of sodium daily. Previously, that guideline had been 2,300 mg, although people with high blood pressure, blacks and older individuals — groups totaling up to 70% of the population — were advised to limit daily sodium to 1,500 mg. Last summer, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee's scientific guidance for updating federal dietary guidelines also recommended a universal 1,500 mg limit. In lowering its sodium target, the Heart Association cited more than 50 trials on the blood-pressure effects of salt, as well as benefits of sodium reduction in preventing the blood-pressure increases that come with aging — ultimately affecting 90% of adults. Experts acknowledge, however, that cutting sodium intake to 1,500 mg represents a challenge, especially since three-quarters of the sodium in the US diet comes not from the salt shaker but from processed foods. — Circulation
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January 2011
Here's more evidence that eating like a Mediterranean might help protect your aging brain. Following up on other studies linking the so-called Mediterranean diet to slower cognitive decline, researchers compared the eating habits and mental abilities of nearly 4,000 older Midwesterners. Participants' diets were scored (maximum 55 points) for adherence to a traditional Greek diet, and cognitive performance was tested every 3 years. Even after adjusting for other lifestyle factors, those with higher "MedDiet" scores suffered slower cognitive decline over time: A person with a 10-point higher score than someone the same age would, on average, perform mentally as if 3 years younger. No similar association with slower cognitive decline was seen for adherence to the federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans, however. Researchers concluded, "Incorporating more vegetables, more olive oil, fish and moderate wine consumption coupled with greater physical activity is good for our aging brains." — American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
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November 2010
US food packagers are getting the whole-grains religion. The market research organization Mintel predicts that 2010 will wind up being the biggest year ever for whole-grain product launches. Through the third quarter, products with whole-grain label claims already totaled 651. The Mintel report credited the Whole Grains Council's stamp labeling program as a driving force in consumer awareness of whole-grain health benefits: Since the introduction of the Whole Grain Stamp in 2005, more than 3,700 new whole-grain food products have been introduced. The percentage of new products carrying a whole-grain label claim has jumped from 2.3% in 2005 to 5.6% in 2010. The trend is even stronger among foods boasting that they're "all-natural," with nearly 1 in 5 also touting whole grains. The federal dietary guidelines recommend making half your daily grains whole grains. — Mintel
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September 2010
If you're not eating as healthfully as the federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans advise, you're hardly alone. Researchers who analyzed data on 16,338 individuals' eating habits from 2001-2004 national dietary surveys painted a dire picture of adherence to the healthy-eating guidelines. "Nearly everyone" in the survey failed to meet recommendations for whole grains, dark green vegetables, orange vegetables and legumes. A majority fell short on every food group except beans, total grains and, not surprisingly, meat. Meanwhile, 80% of Americans age 71-plus and more than 90% of all other age groups, regardless of gender, indulged too much in "discretionary calories" — those from saturated fats, added sugars and alcohol. Researchers concluded, "Nearly the entire US population consumes a diet that is not on par with recommendations. These findings add another piece to the rather disturbing picture that is emerging of a nation's diet in crisis." An official update to the US dietary guidelines will be issued by year's end — though the revised recommendations aren't expected to be any easier to live up to. — Journal of Nutrition
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June 2010
The experts developing the next federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans have the nation's obesity epidemic squarely in their crosshairs. Linda V. Van Horn, PhD, RD, LD, of Northwestern University, chair of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, said in presenting the group's recommendations, "The most important issue is that this set of guidelines is addressing an unhealthy American public for the first time. The obesity epidemic is priority number one, and every single thing in this report is focused on addressing that problem up front." The 13-member committee, which includes Tufts' Miriam Nelson, PhD, made its recommendations to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which will issue the final guidelines by year's end.
Despite the call to arms against obesity, the actual intake recommendations contain only a few changes from the last update in 2005:
* Saturated fat limits were reduced from 10% of total daily calories to 7%, with an emphasis on substituting more healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats.
* Trans fat intake has been halved, from 1% to 0.5%.
* Recommended sodium intake was also slashed, from 2,300 milligrams daily to 1,500 milligrams.
* Recommendations for seafood intake call for two four-ounce servings per week to get 250 milligrams daily of the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA.
Although guidelines for protein and carbohydrate consumption are little changed, the expert panel called for a shift to a more plant-based diet and a focus on nutrient-rich rather than energy-dense foods.
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June 2010
Eating right could help protect your eyes from cataracts. Researchers who studied 1,808 women, ages 55 to 86, report that a healthy diet — such as that recommended by the federal dietary guidelines and food pyramid — was associated with reduced risk of cataracts. Overall, 41% of the women experienced evidence of cataracts or had a cataract extracted. To compare cataract risk with eating habits, their diets were scored higher for intakes at or above recommended levels of vegetables, fruits, grains, milk, meat (or beans, fish or eggs) and for eating below recommended levels for fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. Investigators concluded that healthy diets "are more strongly related to the lower occurrence of nuclear cataracts than any other modifiable risk factor or protective factor studied in this sample of women." Cataracts are the most prevalent cause of visual impairment due to eye disease in the US. — Archives of Ophthalmology…
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