Chapter 1
Background and Purpose of the
Dietary Guidelines for Americans
Contents
What Is the Dietary
Guideline for Americans?
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans [Dietary Guidelines], first
published in 1980, provides science-based advice to promote health and to reduce
risk for chronic diseases through diet and physical activity. The
recommendations contained within the Dietary Guidelines are targeted to
the general public over 2 years of age who are living in the United States.
Because of its focus on health promotion and risk reduction, the Dietary
Guidelines form the basis of federal food, nutrition education, and
information programs.
By law (Public Law 101-445, Title III, 7 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.), the
Dietary Guidelines is reviewed, updated if necessary, and published every 5
years. The process to create the Dietary Guidelines is a joint effort
of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) and has evolved to include three stages.
In the first stage, an external scientific Advisory Committee appointed by
the two Departments conducted an analysis of new scientific information and
prepared a report summarizing its findings. The
Advisory Committee's report was made available to the public and Government
agencies for comment. The Committee's analysis was the primary resource for
development of the Dietary Guidelines by the Departments. A significant
amount of the new scientific information used by the Dietary Guidelines
Advisory Committee (DGAC) was based on the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI)
reports published since 2000 by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), in particular
the macronutrient report and the fluid and electrolyte report.
During the second stage, the Departments jointly developed Key
Recommendations based on the Advisory Committee's report and public and agency
comments. The Dietary Guidelines details these science-based policy
recommendations. Finally, in the third stage, the two Departments developed
messages communicating the Dietary Guidelines to the general public.
Because of the three-part process used to develop and communicate the 2005
Dietary Guidelines, this publication and the report of the DGAC differ
in scope and purpose compared to reports for previous versions of the
Guidelines. The 2005 DGAC report is a detailed scientific analysis that
identifies key issues such as energy balance, the consequences of a sedentary
lifestyle, and the need to emphasize certain food choices to address nutrition
issues for the American public. The scientific report was used to develop the
Dietary Guidelines jointly between the two Departments, and this
publication forms the basis of recommendations that will be used by USDA and HHS
for program and policy development. Thus it is a publication oriented toward
policymakers, nutrition educators, nutritionists and healthcare providers rather
than to the general public, as with previous versions of the Dietary
Guidelines, and contains more technical information.
New sections in the Dietary Guidelines, consistent with its use for
program development, are a glossary of terms and appendixes with detailed
information about the USDA Food Guide and the Dietary Approaches to Stop
Hypertension (DASH) Eating Plan as well as tables listing sources of some
nutrients. Consumer messages have been developed to educate the public about the
Key Recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines and will be used in
materials targeted for consumers separate from this publication. In organizing
the Dietary Guidelines for the Departments, chapters 2 to 10 were given
titles that characterize the topic of each section, and the Dietary
Guidelines itself is presented as an integrated set of Key Recommendations
in each topic area.
These Key Recommendations are based on a preponderance of the scientific
evidence of nutritional factors that are important for lowering risk of chronic
disease and promoting health. To optimize the beneficial impact of these
recommendations on health, the Guidelines should be implemented in their
entirety.
Good nutrition is vital to good health and is absolutely essential for the
healthy growth and development of children and adolescents. Major causes of
morbidity and mortality in the United States are related to poor diet and a
sedentary lifestyle. Specific diseases and conditions linked to poor diet
include cardiovascular disease, hypertension, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes,
overweight and obesity, osteoporosis, constipation, diverticular disease, iron
deficiency anemia, oral disease, malnutrition, and some cancers. Lack of
physical activity has been associated with cardiovascular disease, hypertension,
overweight and obesity, osteoporosis, diabetes, and certain cancers.
Furthermore, muscle strengthening and improving balance can reduce falls and
increase functional status among older adults. Together with physical activity,
a high-quality diet that does not provide excess calories should enhance the
health of most individuals.
Poor diet and physical inactivity, resulting in an energy imbalance (more
calories consumed than expended), are the most important factors contributing to
the increase in overweight and obesity in this country. Moreover, overweight and
obesity are major risk factors for certain chronic diseases such as diabetes. In
1999-2002, 65 percent of U.S. adults were overweight, an increase from 56
percent in 1988-1994. Data from 1999-2002 also showed that 30 percent of adults
were obese, an increase from 23 percent in an earlier survey. Dramatic increases
in the prevalence of overweight have occurred in children and adolescents of
both sexes, with approximately 16 percent of children and adolescents aged 6 to
19 years considered to be overweight (1999-2002).
In order to reverse this trend, many Americans need to consume fewer calories,
be more active, and make wiser choices within and among food groups. The
Dietary Guidelines provides a framework to promote healthier lifestyles.
Given the importance of a balanced diet to health, the intent of the
Dietary Guidelines is to summarize and synthesize knowledge regarding
individual nutrients and food components into recommendations for an overall
pattern of eating that can be adopted by the general public. These patterns are
exemplified by the USDA Food Guide and the DASH Eating Plan. The Dietary Guidelines is applicable to the food preferences of
different racial/ethnic groups, vegetarians, and other groups. This concept of
balanced eating patterns should be utilized in planning diets for various
population groups.
There is a growing body of evidence which demonstrates that following a diet
that complies with the Dietary Guidelines may reduce the risk of
chronic disease. Recently, it was reported that dietary patterns consistent with
recommended dietary guidance were associated with a lower risk of mortality
among individuals age 45 years and older in the United States.
The authors of the study estimated that about 16 percent and 9 percent of
mortality from any cause in men and women, respectively, could be eliminated by
the adoption of desirable dietary behaviors. Currently, adherence to the
Dietary Guidelines is low among the U.S. population. Data from USDA
illustrate the degree of change in the overall dietary pattern of Americans
needed to be consistent with a food pattern encouraged by the Dietary
Guidelines.
A basic premise of the Dietary Guidelines is that nutrient needs
should be met primarily through consuming foods. Foods provide an array of
nutrients (as well as phytochemicals, antioxidants, etc.) and other compounds
that may have beneficial effects on health. In some cases, fortified foods may
be useful sources of one or more nutrients that otherwise might be consumed in
less than recommended amounts. Supplements may be useful when they fill a
specific identified nutrient gap that cannot or is not otherwise being met by
the individual's intake of food. Nutrient supplements cannot replace a healthful
diet. Individuals who are already consuming the recommended amount of a nutrient
in food will not achieve any additional health benefit if they also take the
nutrient as a supplement. In fact, in some cases, supplements and fortified
foods may cause intakes to exceed the safe levels of nutrients. Another
important premise of the Dietary Guidelines is that foods should be
prepared and handled in such a way that reduces risk of food-borne illness.
The Dietary Guidelines is intended primarily for use by
policymakers, healthcare providers, nutritionists, and nutrition educators.
While the Dietary Guidelines was developed for healthy Americans 2
years of age and older, where appropriate, the needs of specific population
groups have been addressed. In addition, other individuals may find this report
helpful in making healthful choices. As noted previously, the recommendations
contained within the Dietary Guidelines will aid the public in reducing
their risk for obesity and chronic disease. Specific uses of the Dietary
Guidelines include:
The information in the Dietary Guidelines is useful for the
development of educational materials. For example, the federal dietary
guidance-related publications are required by law to be based on the Dietary
Guidelines. In addition, this publication will guide the development of
messages to communicate the Dietary Guidelines to the public. Finally,
the USDA Food Guide, the food label, and Nutrition Facts Panel provide
information that is useful for implementing the key recommendations in the
Dietary Guidelines and should be integrated into educational and
communication messages.
The Dietary Guidelines aids policymakers in designing and
implementing nutrition-related programs. The Federal Government bases its
nutrition programs, such as the National Child Nutrition Programs or the Elderly
Nutrition Program, on the Dietary Guidelines.
The Dietary Guidelines has the potential to provide authoritative
statements as provided for in the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act
(FDAMA). Because the recommendations are interrelated and mutually dependent,
the statements in this publication should be used together in the context of an
overall healthful diet. Likewise, because the Dietary Guidelines
contains discussions about emerging science, only statements included in the
Executive Summary and the highlighted boxes entitled "Key Recommendations,"
which reflect the preponderance of scientific evidence, can be used for
identification of authoritative statements.
A graphical depiction of the degree of change in average daily food
consumption by Americans that would be needed to be consistent with the food
patterns encouraged by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The zero
line represents average consumption levels from each food group or subgroup by
females 31 to 50 years of age and males 31 to 50 years of age. Bars above the
zero line represent recommended increases in food group consumption, while bars
below the line represent recommended decreases.
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