By: Maria Ecrivain | Contributing AOJ Journalist
Every 5 years, the US Government is required by law to publish dietary guidelines for Americans. This publication is completed with the collaboration of two agencies, the United States Department of Agriculture and the Health and Human Services, with a Federal Advisory Committee. Dietary suggestions were voluntarily provided to the public by the US government for over 100 years it was not until 1990 that Congress passed a law requiring that the dietary guidelines for Americans be compiled and released every 5 years. Therefore, a change in nutritional policy can be expected as this new guideline will now include recommendations for pregnant and nursing women, and infants. Previously, recommendations were for ages 2 and up. The role of the US Government concerning Americans nutritional needs have changed since the government first started making suggestions.
Origination of US Government dietary suggestions
Originally, the US Government was looking into the nutritional value and costs associated with eating choices. As well, it was believed that healthier and less expensive yet nutritional eating options could be shared with the public to improve productivity and overall health. Concurrently looking for better yielding seeds, plants and animals for the US to import, in 1839, Congress established the Agriculture Division within the patent department for improved agricultural processes to benefit the U.S. In 1862, Abraham Lincoln established the Department of Agriculture with Isaac Newton (Not to be confused with Sir Isaac Newton who articulated the 3 laws of motion and passed away in 1727) as the Commissioner of it. The Department of Agriculture was not a cabinet until 1889.
Evolution of dietary standards
Initially, the US Government made dietary suggestions based on nutritional deficiencies in order to prevent illnesses caused by a lack of certain nutrients. They also included suggestions for safer food handling. In the early to mid-1900’s, overall health was being improved by the discovery of vitamins and minerals and adequate consumption of those items vital for healthier people. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) is the end result of that research. After the mid 1900’s, the science communities started disagreeing on suggested changes to dietary suggestions as the overall food that was nutrient dense was more readily available. In developed countries, they shifted focus to making sure all children and youths were well nourished within their country. Beyond that, malnourishment was still a world concern in poorer nations that remained a priority though follow through on a consistent plan was not executed. In the last quarter of the 20th century, the focus changed as health issues related to nutrient deficiencies, in general, were substantially lower, but other chronic health concerns in the public were rising. This concern birthed the first dietary guidelines. Micro-nutrients, sanitation, and other factors were added to the nutritional focus as well. From the end of the 20th century up to now, the focus on dietary needs has progressed with large studies that provided evidence-based theories for improved diets and more specific suggestions for smaller subsets of the populations.
How the target audience of the US Government dietary suggestions has changed
Until the 1980’s, the government voluntarily provided information generally in the form of a pamphlet/brochure. The information was designed for the public to read and utilize. Much of the information was in the form of eating guidelines for healthy Americans. In the mid 1990’s, the guidelines also included ages 2 and up. Subsequently, in the early 2000’s the intended reader of the dietary guidelines began to shift from consumers and citizens, to also include health professionals and policymakers. By the 2005 guidelines, the target audience was only health professionals and policymakers. The brochure had evolved from 20 pages to close to 100 while the technical report went from 20 pages to close to 600 pages. The guidelines are now used by policymakers and other government agencies and health professionals in advising the American public on healthy eating choices. Federal agencies use this information when making recommendations for agencies like USAD national school lunch programs, WIC (Woman, Infants and Children’s program), the Department of Defense, and Veteran’s Programs to list a few.
The impact US Dietary Guidelines has had in America
Overall, the goal from the beginning of the concept of dietary guidelines in the US was to improve the health of its citizenry. Generally, since the presentation of dietary guidelines the life span of Americans has improved, as well as mortality rates in children, but these improvements cannot be summarily attributed to improved nutrition. However, according to the CDC 2012 Nutritional Report, 90% of Americans are getting enough of many nutrients and vitamins. Therefore, progress has been made over the past century to improve Americans health.
Where are the guidelines headed?
As the US dietary guidelines become more complex with added suggestions, it is becoming more difficult for the average American to interpret the information. This is forcing Americans to rely on abbreviated generic pamphlets and their medical professionals. With the increased complexity and length of the Dietary Guidelines, it is less likely that medical professionals and policymakers will be well versed in all the suggestions. Additionally, the suggestions for individuals vary based on many criteria like age and gender, while this adds to better results for subsets of the population, it lengthens the amount of information required to be sifted through for proper advisement from those sharing the information. The goal is still to improve the health of Americans, yet the process for sharing and procuring that information has become more complicated over the decades.
In Summary
The US Dietary Guidelines for 2020 will be completed after 5 years of research and review along with public meetings and public comments. Included in this upcoming guideline will be recommendations for not just ages 2 and up, but also for pregnant woman and infants less than 2 years old. The guidelines are now a collaboration of several departments within the US Government, along with a committee, volunteers, and public input. The end result is a publication for the US government to utilize for other agencies within it, as well as for health professionals and policymakers. Involved in the assembly of the dietary guidelines are statistics, many of which have been tracked since the early 1900’s. While the goal has always been to improve the health of US citizens, the focus of improvement within the guidelines has transitioned from preventing nutrient deficient diseases to lessening chronic health problems and most recently to improving the overall development of children from in utero to adulthood.
Sources:
http://www.commodityfoods.org/Action-Updates/7584153
https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/media/38
https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400530/pdf/hist/oes_1894_farm_bul_23.pdf
http://www.archive.org/stream/unitedstatesfood00unit#page/n15/mode/2up
https://www.bmj.com/content/361/bmj.k2392
https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/introduction/dietary-guidelines-for-americans/
https://www.cdc.gov/nutritionreport/
https://kresserinstitute.com/well-fed-but-undernourished-an-american-epidemic/
Very informative. I wonder if there is less of a need for the government to be doing detailed nutritional reports since today there are many private companies and associations that try to disburse important dietary information to the public as a matter of meeting consumer demand.