In February, the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee presented the Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Committee to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) with the purpose of informing the federal government of “current scientific evidence on topics related to diet, nutrition, and health” (health.gov). In the report, the idea of low-cholesterol diets was changed, along with a few other elements (npr.org).

The reasoning behind such is that the evidence between cholesterol-rich foods and the artery-clogging LDL cholesterol that ends up in the bloodstream is weak. So eggs can be back in the menu, along with some other items people may have been staying away from (npr.org). As such, various nutrition and health experts have suggested that cholesterol no longer be labeled as a “nutrient of concern” (latimes.com).

For the first time, the advisory panel allowed for moderate coffee consumption for “the committee said that daily caffeine intake equivalent to three to five cups of coffee is not only safe, but appears to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in adults” (latimes.com). It has also been linked to Parkinson’s disease prevention (latimes.com).

The report itself states, “On average, the US diet is low in vegetables, fruit and whole grains and too high in calories, saturated fat, sodium, refined grains and added sugars” and in such is urging the federal government to do more to make sure that Americans follow the guidelines set (nbcnews.com). It goes on to illustrate than half of the American population is suffering under one or more preventable chronic illnesses due to the diets followed.

Another focus was on sugar and salt and the negative effects a diet high in such has on the individual. It also recommended cutting back on red meats and shifting to more plant-based foods (nbcrightnow.com). In accordance with Connie Diekman, director of university of nutrition at Washington University, “What the committee has recommended is what the current science supports, which is our intake of added sugars and saturated fats is still too high” (nbc.com).

Americans should limit added sugars to 10 percent of their daily calorie intake at the most, but most on average make it to 16 percent. Naturally occurring sugars in fruits for example are of no concern in this matter; it is the added sugars in various food products that have been connected to a number of ailments like hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Such are present even in foods one wouldn’t think of, like ketchup and mustard for instance, which normally contain high-fructose corn syrup (webmd.com).

While there were certain changes made in the latest report, proposals like lowering sugar and salt intake, as well as red meat consumption are not new ideas. In order to reduce the risk of potentially life-threatening diseases, abstaining from such may help. As the year progresses, hopefully health will too.