• In February 2018, The Daily Intake Blog reported that the U.S. Department of Health and Humans Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) were soliciting “public comments on the proposed priority topics and supporting scientific questions that will guide the development of the upcoming 2020-2025” edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (the 2020 DGA).  The DGA is a set of recommendations intended to help people make healthy eating choices and it has been of particular interest as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA, an agency within HHS) attempts to define “healthy
  • USDA published the topics that the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (the Committee) is to address in providing guidance to HHS and USDA.  As expected, HHS and USDA have asked the Committee to stratify and review evidence based on age (and stage of life), sex, race, ethnicity, culture, location, and/or socioeconomic status.  Specific topics include:
    • Current patterns,
    • Nutrients of public health concern,
    • Prevalence of nutrition-related chronic health conditions,
    • Dietary pattern shift with life stage,
    • Impact of
      • dietary pattern on growth and disease,
      • beverages on growth, achieving nutrient and food group recommendations, and disease,
      • added sugars on growth, achieving nutrient and food group recommendations, and disease,
      • dietary fats on brain health and various diseases,
      • seafood on brain health and various diseases,
      • frequency of eating on growth and disease, and
    • Infant and Toddler (birth through 24 months) and  Pregnant and Lactating Mother specific questions
  • The Committee will be holding its first meeting on March 29 at the USDA South Building, Jefferson Auditorium, in Washington, DC and via webcast.  The meeting is open to the public, but attendees (in-person or via webcast) must register between March 19 and March 26.  The agenda includes:
    • review of operations for the Committee members,
    • overview of the topics and questions identified by the Departments [HHS and USDA] to be examined by the Committee,
    • presentations on evidence-based approaches for reviewing the scientific evidence, and
    • plans for future Committee work
  • Keller and Heckman will continue to monitor and report on developments relating to the DGA.