Addressing misinformation about the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) provides science-based advice on dietary intake to promote health, reduce risk of chronic disease, and meet nutrient needs. It is jointly published by the United States Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture (USDA) every 5 y. As chronic diseases continue to rise to pervasive levels, helping the United States population follow the DGA is especially important for improving the health of our nation. The DGA is developed using a rigorous and transparent scientific process, and with the advice of an independent, external committee of leading scientists. Career federal nutrition scientists who manage the process ensure that the methods used to develop the DGA remain state of the art. Unfortunately, misinformation about the scientific basis, transparency, and relevance of the DGA for the United States population threatens its credibility. The main objective of this article is to correct this misinformation with factual information about the process used to develop the DGA. The DGA provides guidelines for the general public, and its primary audience includes policymakers and nutrition and health professionals who help individuals and families consume a healthy dietary pattern. Providing accurate information may bolster trust in the recommendations among these audiences while improving implementation across sectors to promote better adherence to the DGA, thereby improving diet quality among the United States population.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025: Understanding the Scientific Process, Guidelines, and Key Recommendations.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 was issued jointly by the US Departments of Agriculture and of Health and Human Services in December 2020. It is the ninth edition of the Dietary Guidelines and is the first to provide recommendations by life stage, from birth to older adulthood. The Dietary Guidelines is grounded in the current body of scientific evidence on diet and health outcomes and aims to promote health and prevent chronic diseases. The process to develop the Dietary Guidelines involved 4 steps: (1) identifying the topics and supporting scientific questions, (2) appointing a Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (Committee) to review current scientific evidence, (3) developing the new edition of the Dietary Guidelines, and (4) implementing the Dietary Guidelines. The 2020-2025 edition provides 4 overarching guidelines and supporting key recommendations that encourage healthy dietary patterns across the life span. The foods and beverages that people consume have a profound impact on health, and it is never too late or too early to eat healthfully.