Dietary Cholesterol Recommendations & The Dietary
Guidelines
You
may have heard or read , reports in the press suggest information was
shared regarding the work of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee which
reviews research and generates an Advisory
Report, every five years. The Advisory Report is one important piece
considered by the agencies in producing The Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans serves as the basis for the government’s
nutrition policy and nutrition education (e.g. MyPlate). News stories are
indicating the 2015 Advisory Report (not yet available to the public) will
recommend that cholesterol no longer be considered a “food component to
reduce,” which currently comes with a recommendation to limit intake to <300 day.="" mg="" o:p="">300>
Just a
bit on cholesterol: We make cholesterol in our bodies in order to make our
cells; animals do this as well-so we take in cholesterol when eating foods
containing animal fats. One risk factor for heart disease is how we transport
that cholesterol around our body in our blood, with “bad cholesterol” (LDL
cholesterol) increasing our risk for heart disease, while “good cholesterol”
(HDL cholesterol) reduces our risk. Some people appear to adjust their
production and blood cholesterol to accommodate how much cholesterol they eat,
while other people do not. It is this second group that may benefit from
reducing the cholesterol in their diet. We have learned from research that
other dietary factors influence our blood cholesterol as well-including
saturated and trans fats. Even for saturated fats, we’re finding differences
among the types of saturated fats and how people respond to them.
Implications:
This makes providing dietary guidance that can apply to the entire population
difficult. Do we recommend limiting dietary cholesterol for everyone, if it may
be only a subpopulation that benefits? That approach was used in requiring
enriched grains to contain folic acid for the benefit of women at risk of
having a baby with a neural tube defect. However, our recommendations can have
unintended consequences. An example is the public perception that eggs are bad
for them. Eggs were a “victim” of early concerns about cholesterol, potentially
eliminating a relatively inexpensive source of high quality protein. Those
developing the Dietary Guidelines for Americans will consider the latest
research and the most appropriate way to translate that for the public.
For the
moment: Access to the final Advisory Report is not available so we don’t know
the cholesterol recommendation. We also don’t know how this will be translated
into the final Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The Advisory Report will be
published, public comments as well as comments from other federal agencies will
be solicited, and all will be considered in developing The Dietary Guidelines
for Americans 2015. This 2015 version may not be put out until late this year.
Until then, we’re basing our work on the current US Dietary Guidelines for
Americans, 2010. Current guidelines include recommendations on dietary fats and
the limit on dietary cholesterol, but do note that consuming one egg/day does
not adversely affect blood cholesterol or increase heart disease risk. A
program participant or member of the public concerned about their individual
heart disease risk and the role of dietary cholesterol, would appropriately be
referred to their health care provider.
Source: UW-Extension Nutrition Specialists
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