 |
|
|
 |
| Proposed
U.S. dietary guidelines stops
short of urging less sugar |
|
By Randy Fabi
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. panel of
nutrition experts on Friday proposed new
federal dietary guidelines that
acknowledged a link between soft drinks
and weight gain, but
stopped short of
recommending that overweight Americans
eat less sugar.
The 13-member panel, commissioned by the
Bush administration to recommend changes
to the government's dietary guidelines,
also said "social changes" in
America's super-sized lifestyle would
help shrink the country's waistline.
Consumer groups had hoped the panel
would bluntly recommend that Americans
limit their consumption of soft drinks
and other sugary foods, a view sharply
opposed by beverage makers and the sugar
industry, who say weight gain is due to
many factors.
The federal dietary guidelines form the
basis of the well-known food pyramid
printed on breakfast cereals and other
food packages. The guidelines are
updated every five years by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture and the Health
and Human Services Department.
The recommendations included
non-controversial language advising
consumers to choose their fats and
carbohydrates "wisely" and to
limit salt and alcohol.
"A reduced intake of added sugars
(especially sugar-sweetened beverages)
may be helpful in achieving recommended
intakes of nutrients and in weight
control," the report said. The
experts stopped short of directly urging
Americans to cut down on soft drinks,
cakes, cookies, pies, candy and other
sugar-filled food, saying more research
was necessary.
"We were still hoping that in the
final document the public sees a more
direct and clearer message that most of
us should be consuming less added
sugars," said David Schardt, senior
nutritionist for the Center for Science
in the Public Interest.
Soft drink makers and the sugar industry
contend it is unfair to link diabetes to
soft drink consumption. They said an
unhealthy lifestyle, not a particular
food or beverage, increased an
individual's risk of developing
diabetes.
"The concept of sugars being in
unhealthy foods or only being in foods
that you should eat in moderation is
kind of misleading. There is sugar in a
lot of healthy foods," Cheryl
Digges, director of public policy for
the Sugar Association.
The federal nutrition panel also urged
Americans to balance food intake with
their activity level to avoid gaining
weight.
The panel's final report advised
Americans to be more physically active
and to eat more fruits, vegetables and
whole grains. The USDA and Health and
Human Services Department will review
the report and finalize new guidelines
in 2005.
Consumer groups have expressed concern
in the past that the USDA, which
promotes agricultural products, has a
major role in developing federal dietary
guidelines. Last year, they requested
the government remove seven of the 13
panel members because of their close
ties to the food industry. None of them
were removed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|