Diet Panel Emphasizes More Fiber, Less Fat

[Guest guest]

By Sally Squires

While a low-carbohydrate diet craze may be sweeping the nation, a federal

advisory committee's deliberations this week are likely to soon guide

consumers back to eating more fruit and vegetables, whole grains, milk

products, and fish -- and getting much more exercise -- to hold down their

weight and reduce the risk of chronic disease.

The U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee spent three days this week

hammering out more than two dozen nutritional and physical activity

statements that are likely to form the basis of the next U.S. Dietary

Guidelines, the official blueprint for what Americans are urged to eat for

good health.

" I'm pleased that the committee stuck with the science and stayed with it

throughout, " said J. Hentges, the director of the Center for Nutrition

Policy and Promotion at the Department of Agriculture, which is overseeing

the committee with the Department of Health and Human Services. " Debating

the science will give us the information to make policy decisions and

implement them as well as to help make behavioral changes in Americans. "

While the committee's deliberations are just one step in a long process

scheduled to conclude in January, their conclusions are likely to point

consumers toward adding healthful food to their diet and cutting back on

fare that is high in calories, fat and sodium. The USDA and HHS are

scheduled to review the committee's final report, expected in August, and

use it to update the next set of dietary guidelines, scheduled for release

in January.

Of particular concern to the 13-member committee are findings of national

food surveys showing that adults aren't consuming enough food rich in

vitamins A, C and E as well as folate, calcium, magnesium, zinc, potassium

and fiber. Children are falling short on vitamin E, folic acid, calcium,

magnesium, potassium and fiber.

The members concluded that eating a wide variety of food, especially fruit

and vegetables, whole grains, milk products, and meat and other protein

sources is important to meeting basic nutritional requirements. They found

that diets rich in dietary fiber can reduce the risk of coronary disease and

said that individuals should consume about 14 grams of dietary fiber for

every 1,000 calories eaten. That works out to about 28 grams of fiber a day

for most women and about 35 grams for most men.

Because intake of cholesterol, saturated fat and trans fats has been

linked to heart disease, the committee said consumption of foods with these

ingredients should be kept low. In particular, they advised limiting trans

fats, which are found in such foods as margarine, many baked goods and

frosting, to less than 1 percent of total calories. People with healthy

levels of the most dangerous form of cholesterol -- low-density lipoprotein

(LDL) -- and children were advised to eat no more than 300 milligrams daily

of cholesterol, about the amount found in one egg yolk. Those with elevated

LDL need to consume no more than 200 milligrams per day of cholesterol.

If incorporated into the final guidelines, the recommendations could mean

that as many as half of men ages 35 and older and half of women 45 years and

older will be advised to reduce their intake of cholesterol-rich food, said

one committee member, who asked not to be named.

Among the committee's other conclusions is that most Americans should get

more vitamin D to improve bone health and perhaps reduce the risk of some

types of cancer. This would probably result in recommendations to consume

more fortified food such as milk and milk products or to take dietary

supplements. The committee also found strong scientific evidence that

eating healthy fats, especially those found in fatty, deep-water fish, such

as salmon, can help reduce cardiovascular risk.

Regular physical activity " reduces the risk for the development of chronic

diseases and is essential to the maintenance of a healthy weight, " the

committee found, noting that 30 minutes per day of at least moderate

exercise provides important health benefits.

Those who want to lose pounds -- or want to keep off the weight they have

shed -- may need even more. The committee said that many adults may require

up to 60 minutes per day to prevent unhealthy weight gain. Sixty minutes

daily was also found important for children.

The most contentious scientific debate erupted over whether food and

beverages with added sugar, such as soft drinks, contribute to weight gain

and fuel the obesity epidemic.

The committee stopped short of naming sugar-sweetened drinks specifically

as a contributor to weight gain but adopted a statement saying: " When

individuals consume food or beverages that are high in added sugars, there

is strong documentation that they also consume more energy than those who

consume low amounts of added sugars. There is evidence that sugar-sweetened

beverages are not as well regulated as calories in the solid form. "