America will soon have new dietary guidelines. They could be interesting.

Australia usually mirrors the US lead. But will that happen this time?

We’ve had dietary guidelines for 45 years. They started in America in 1980 and in Australia two years later.

The mission was to promote health and reduce the risk of chronic disease.

In the early 80s the populations of both countries were relatively heathy. Rates of obesity were low, and there was no sign of metabolic disease conditions such as type 2 diabetes or non-alcoholic fatty liver in children.

Forty-five years later that relatively healthy state has flipped around. Now, 88% of American adults have at least one marker of metabolic disease and it’s similar here.

The new American guidelines are due any time now, and the prospect is raising eyebrows.

Bizarrely, dietary guidelines in the US are political. I mean Democrats vs Republicans political.

Yes, they’re always political in that there’s intense lobbying by the big manufacturers of seed oils, processed food and sugary drinks, along with the big pharmaceutical companies.

An analysis of the committee responsible for the 2020 US guidelines revealed that 95% of the committee members had at least one connection with a pharmaceutical or processed food company, in that they’d been employed by them, received grants from them, sat on their advisory boards, and so on. Over half the committee had at least 30 industry links each.

Hardly impartial.

One thing you might’ve noticed about these guidelines is that they rarely change. Which suits the food and pharmaceutical giants just fine, thanks very much. Their future profits depend on retaining that big chunk of starchy grain on the plate, pyramid or whatever graphic device is used.

Why do the pharmaceutical companies care? Because food-based solutions to the nation’s health issues are not in their interests. Like the big food companies, they’re pushing hard for retention of the status quo.

But back to Democrats and Republicans.

The Biden administration apparently issued a report recommending more of the same for the next round of guidelines, but this was rejected by the new US health department.

We don’t see this in Australia, but the progressive side of politics in the US is associated with the plant-based movement, low fat, and less animal food.

The Republicans, on the other hand, are aligned with the MAHA (Making America Healthy Again) movement.

At the forefront of this are ‘MAHA moms’ — women who champion staying at home with their children, growing their own food, and a return to traditional ways.

They’ve rallied against artificial dyes in children’s food, seed oils/vegetable oils, and they’re in favour of red meat.

Moreover, they have the support of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert Kennedy (known as RFK). If you saw the video of him lowering his Thanksgiving turkey into a pot of bubbling tallow and declaring this the ‘MAHA way’, you’re getting the drift.

And it’s not just him.

The US Commissioner of Food and Drugs, Marty Makary has made it clear he doesn’t support a restriction on saturated fat. Makary also happens to be a gastrointestinal surgeon.

His position on saturated fat aligns with the research, even though RFK has shown scant interest in scientific research.

Where this will end up is anyone’s guess, but it matters because like it or not, America’s guidelines become the gold standard. At least, they have done until now.

If they suddenly start championing saturated fat and red meat, what will happen here? It’s hard to see Australia following suit.

Typically, the guidelines become the bible for doctors of all types, nurses, dietitians, nutritionists and the like, and they’re followed in hospitals, schools, and aged-care facilities. They dictate what we’re all told to eat.

Watch this space.

Photo Source: australianfinefoods.com