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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #331863
Title: The 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee scientific report: development and major conclusions

Author
item MILLEN, BARBARA - Millennium Prevention, Inc
item ABRAMS, STEVEN - Baylor College Of Medicine
item ADAMS-CAMPBELL, LUCILE - Georgetown University
item ANDERSON, CHERYL - University Of California
item BRENNA, J THOMAS - Cornell University
item CAMPBELL, WAYNE - Purdue University
item CLINTON, STEVEN - The Ohio State University
item HU, FRANK - Harvard University
item NELSON, MIRIAM - University Of New Hampshire
item NEUHOUSER, MARIAN - Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
item PEREZ-ESCAMILLA, RAFAEL - Yale University
item SIEGA-RIZ, ANNA MARIA - University Of North Carolina
item STORY, MARY - Duke University
item LICHTESTEIN, ALICE - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University

Submitted to: Advances in Nutrition
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/15/2016
Publication Date: 5/16/2016
Citation: Millen, B.E., Abrams, S., Adams-Campbell, L., Anderson, C.A., Brenna, J., Campbell, W., Clinton, S., Hu, F., Nelson, M., Neuhouser, M.L., Perez-Escamilla, R., Siega-Riz, A., Story, M., Lichtestein, A.H. 2016. The 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee scientific report: development and major conclusions. Advances in Nutrition. 7(3):438-444. doi: 10.3945/an.116.012120.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) are published every five years jointly by the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA) and provide a framework for U.S. food and nutrition programs, health promotion and disease prevention initiatives, and research priorities. Summarized in this report are the methods, major conclusions and recommendations of the Scientific Report of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC). Early in the process, the DGAC developed a conceptual model and formulated questions to examine the impact of diet on numerous health outcomes among individuals aged 2 years and older. As detailed in the report, an expansive, transparent and comprehensive process was used to address each question, including multiple opportunities for public input. Consensus was reached on all DGACs findings; each conclusion, recommendation and the entire Report were voted on and approved. When research questions were answered by original systematic literature reviews and/or with existing, high-quality expert reports, the quality and strength of the evidence was formally graded. The report was organized around five themes: 1) food and nutrient intakes and health: current status and trends; 2) dietary patterns, foods and nutrients, and health outcomes; 3) diet and physical activity behavior change; 4) food and physical activity environments; and 5) food sustainability and food safety. Three cross-cutting topics were addressed, 1) sodium, 2) saturated fat and 3) added sugars. Physical activity recommendations from recent expert reports were endorsed. The overall quality of the American diet was assessed to identify over- and under-consumed nutrients of public health concern. Common food characteristics of healthy dietary patterns were identified. Features of effective interventions to change individual and population diet and physical activity behaviors in clinical, public health and community settings were noted. The Report was used by HHS and USDA to develop the 2015 DGA.