Revised USDA and NICE National Nutrition Guidelines - What's the Verdict?

During June the National Institute of Clinical Excellence in the UK released new guidelines regarding nutrition and its effects upon cardiovascular health. Today the American USDA released their first draft of their revised 2010 nutrition guidelines. Whilst many people may not go chasing around desperate to know what these powerful organisations are doing, it is so important to know that they are advising their respective governments on what the nation should eat. The USDA and NICE guidelines will have significant impact on the direction of government policies regarding food preparation, labelling and manufacture. Here are the major points from each report in summary with a Natural Food Finder review to follow.

NICE (UK) June 2010 to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease

• Salt reduction to a maximum of 6g per day by 2015 and further reductions to only 3g per day by 2025
• Saturated fat to be reduced from the current average of 13.3% to below 11% daily calories - further reductions suggested to as low as 7% of daily calories
• Low saturated fat foods to be sold cheaper than high saturated fat foods
• Encourage and support the production of lower saturated fat dairy
• Trans fatty acids to be reduced across the population with future plans to ensure fats/oils contain no more than 2%
• Trans fats levels to be monitored in processed/fast foods
• Ensure the reduction in trans fats does not cause an increase in saturated fats in food products
• Food labelling to use basic traffic light system on front packaging to highlight levels of sugar, salt, saturated fat and trans fats
• Physical activity and policies and supporting programmes to be encouraged and funded by government

USDA (US) June 2010 Revised National Nutrition Guidelines

• Despite beneficial diets being found across the globe the USDA still seeks to provide population wide guidance
• Energy balance to be change by decreasing calorie intake and increasing physical activity
• Plant based diet is the aim focusing on vegetables, legumes, fruit, wholegrain, nuts and seeds
• Seafood to be consumed twice a week
• Lean meats, poultry and eggs to be consumed in moderation
• Reduce added sugars, solid fats, salt and refined grains
• Increase availability of affordable fresh produce
• Sustainable agriculture to to be supported and increased
• Dietary protein to be increased as a percentage of calories by eating a low calorie diet through reducing fats and refined carbohydrates
• Cardiovascular disease to be reduced through diet
• Dietary cholesterol to be no more than 300mg per day and no more than 200mg in those at high risk
• Solid fats (saturated [except stearic acid] and trans fats) to account for between 5-7% calories
• Avoid industrial produced trans fatty acids

It is not surprising in the least to see so many similarities between the two organisations. It seems as though they have both agreed to push for the same advice. With such significant emphasis on decreasing natural saturated fats and salt it seems as though there is almost no limit to how far they will lower the guidelines. Of course there is likely to be those who feel that they are offering similar guidelines because there must be so much irrefutable evidence to support such harmonious advice.

Basic biochemistry shows that the human body has a very high requirement for saturated fats in all cell membranes; if we do not eat saturated fats, the body will simply make them from carbohydrates.  But excess carbohydrate increases blood levels of triglyceride and small, dense LDL, and compromises blood vessel function.  Moreover, high-carbohydrate diets do not satisfy the appetite as well as diets rich in traditional fats, leading to higher caloric intakes and often to bingeing on empty foods, resulting in rapid weight gain and chronic disease. The lack of evidence linking fats, even saturated fats to cardiovascular disease has been discussed before in our Big Fat Myths and Ban Butter blogs.

Constant efforts to reduce salt never distinguishes between highly refined sodium chloride and natural, unprocessed salt rich in many minerals, particularly calcium and magnesium. Both these minerals tend to be low in modern diets and are essential for many bodily functions. Real salt is absolutely essential to good health. Our video blog on salt discusses this in a little more depth. We are concerned that continued emphasis on salt restriction will have such a profound loss of taste in manufactured food that it will push food producers to increase the levels of neurotoxic monosodium glutamate - not a good compromise

70-80% of all cholesterol in the body is manufactured by the liver. Dietary cholesterol makes little difference. The USDA guidelines would prevent you eating eggs altogether as a typical single egg contains levels of cholesterol in excess of the restrictions. British research found that eating up to 14 eggs a week had absolutely no effect on cholesterol in the blood when studied across a 12 week period.

The one consistent strand of beneficial advice regarding trans fatty acids and their significant impact on cardiovascular disease took over 20 years to become accepted by the mainstream. Now both organisations are pushing for their removal from the food supply. Yet the message is still not known well enough by the general public becasue it is constantly overshadowed by the drone of saturated fat and salt reduction.

Perhaps the most frustrating thing we see in these guidelines is the continued perserverance to keep lowering the level of calories, saturated fat and salt in our diets. The British diet has already lowered saturated fats from 17-13%, but it was not enough. Both British and American diets have reduced the average intake of calories according to national dietary surveys, yet overweight and obesity prevails. Despite all the advice to lower salt, high blood pressure is one of the most prevalent health complications in the world today. Maybe, just maybe we are barking up the wrong tree!