Report Disputes 2010 Dietary Guidelines Report

WASHINGTONA new report published in the journal Nutrition suggests the conclusions and recommendations of the Report of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) fail to recognize recent scientific findings and to conform to the standards of evidence-based medicine, and its conclusions only further confuse the public.

According to the In the Face of Contradictory Evidence: Report on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans Committee", the authors argue that the DGAC Report concludes that animal sources provide the highest-quality protein, yet Americans are advised in the report to shift to a more plant-based" diet and consume only moderate amounts of lean meats, poultry and eggs."

Despite concluding that the evidence is moderate, limited, insufficient and inconsistent on any relation between animal protein consumption and negative health outcomes and at the same time asserting that animal sources provide the highest quality proteins, the DGAC Report cautions Americans about the increased animal protein content of their diet," they wrote. In direct studies where protein intake is increased, particularly if accompanied by a decrease in total carbohydrate, markers for cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease are improved, hemoglobin A1c is decreased and blood glucose and insulin levels are normalized."

The findings also noted the DGAC Report acknowledges that plant protein confers no specific health benefits and may in fact present nutritional inadequacies. The argument for the importance of protein in the diet is convincing but insufficient evidence to support the substitution of plant sources of protein is presented.