WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Americans, often guilty of overeating,
should cut harmful fats, get more exercise and watch their
weight under a new set of U.S. government dietary guidelines
being written by nutrition experts.
A preliminary version of the rules for healthful eating, unveiled
on Thursday, flatly tells Americans to cut consumption of
saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol.
The draft guidelines also warn Americans not to eat more food
than they need, to "be physically active every day," and to
eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, to reduce the
chance of chronic illnesses such as cancer and heart disease.
Two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight and childhood obesity
is ballooning. Poor diet and physical inactivity, blamed for
400,000 deaths a year, may soon overtake smoking as the No.
1 cause of preventable death.
Panelists were unable to finish their work and set another
meeting for Aug. 10 and 11 to wrap up suggestions for the
new edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, slated
for release in January. First published in 1980, the guidelines
are updated every five years to reflect new research on nutrition.
Often reduced to a handful of short reminders, such as "choose
and prepare foods with less salt," or a pamphlet, the Dietary
Guidelines also are a 44-page document expanding on the pithy
advice.
If it follows the committee's proposals, the new edition would
explicitly tell Americans to balance food intake with physical
activity while eating a variety of foods. The current advice
is "aim for a healthy weight."
Overeating "is a big problem right now," said panelist Penny
Kris-Etherton, a nutrition professor at Pennsylvania State
University.
A long-standing admonition to "moderate your intake of sugars"
was dropped from the tentative guidelines. Panel members disagreed
whether sugary drinks lead to obesity.
"I don't like targeting a single item," said Theresa Nicklas
of the Baylor College of Medicine. Joanne Lupton of Texas
A&M University said research found no clear result.
Carlos Camargo of the Harvard Medical School said three studies
showed a link. Many people do not offset calories from drinks
by eating less food, he said.
Panel members settled on language saying people who consume
food and beverages high in added sugar consume more calories
overall and that "sugar-sweetened beverages are not as well-regulated
as calories in solid form" by the body.
Experts acknowledged that the 2005 guidelines were unlikely
to include any major changes.
"We're really talking about a fine-tuning of messages," said
Regina Hildwine, senior director of food standards for the
National Food Processors Association. "I think there are going
to be some opportunities here for food companies," she said,
such as those selling foods that use more whole grains.
Margo Wootan of the activist group Center for Science in the
Public Interest said America's bulging waistline was the result
of eating too-large portions of food, She called for easy-to-follow
advice on trimming calories from the diet.
While advising Americans to eat less saturated fat, trans
fat and cholesterol, linked to clogged arteries, the advisory
committee gave a green light to omega-3 fatty acids, found
in fish. Omega-3 acids reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease,
researchers say.
But the panel noted there should be a general warning about
mercury in fish. The government said in March that shark,
swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish contain too much mercury
to be eaten by pregnant women, nursing mothers, children and
women who may become pregnant. Adults can eat up to 12 ounces
(340 grams) a week of seafood lower in mercury.
