Every five years, the US Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) convene a 15-member panel to update the nation’s dietary guidelines.
The panel’s stated mission is to identify foods and beverages that help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight, promote health, and prevent disease. These guidelines also serve as the foundation for national nutrition policies, such as school lunch programs and feeding programs for the elderly.
The 2015 dietary guidelines include a number of positive modifications, although I still do not agree with all of its recommendations. Public comments on the report were only accepted through April 8, 2015.
Cholesterol Limit Removed from 2015 Dietary Guidelines
On the up-side, the advisory panel has decided to eliminate warnings about dietary cholesterol, which for decades has been wrongfully blamed for causing heart disease.
The latest guidelines accurately state that there is no such link. According to the report, “cholesterol is not a nutrient of concern for overconsumption.”
Until now, the guidelines have recommended limiting dietary cholesterol to 300 milligrams (mg) per day, which amounts to about two eggs. As noted by Steven Nissen, chairman of the department of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic:
“Many of us for a long time have believed the dietary guidelines were pointing in the wrong direction. It is long overdue.”
