Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee

The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) is a panel of experts appointed by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the Federal Advisory Committee Act to review scientific evidence on nutrition and health. Its scientific reports contribute to development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Responsibilities

The DGAC's primary responsibilities include: ^{[1] [2]}

• Conducting systematic reviews of nutrition research through the Nutrition Evidence Systematic Review (NESR).
• Analyzing national dietary intake data from sources such as the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
• Evaluating dietary patterns and health outcomes using food pattern modeling.
• Preparing a scientific advisory report that is submitted to HHS and USDA, which informs the final Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Analysis and criticism

A 2022 article published in PNAS Nexus argued that the process behind the 2020-2025 DGAC lacked transparency, scientific rigor, and committee independence, and failed to fully implement reforms recommended by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. ^[3] A peer-reviewed study published in Public Health Nutrition in 2022 found that 95% of the DGAC members (19 out of 20) had conflicts of interest with the food and/or pharmaceutical industries. ^[4]

See also

• HHS Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
• USDA FNS Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion

References

1. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2017). "Current Approaches to Examining the Evidence: Key Findings". Redesigning the Process for Establishing the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. National Academies Press. doi:10.17226/24883. ISBN   978-0-309-46482-6. PMID   29232083.
2. "2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Systematic Reviews". Nutrition Evidence Systematic Review. US Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
3. Cheryl Achterberg; Arne Astrup; Dennis M Bier; Janet C King; Ronald M Krauss; Nina Teicholz; Jeff S Volek (1 July 2022). "An analysis of the recent US dietary guidelines process in light of its federal mandate and a National Academies report". PNAS Nexus. 1 (3). doi:10.1093/PNASNEXUS/PGAC107. ISSN   2752-6542. PMC   9896931 . PMID   36741454. Wikidata   Q120690728.
4. Mialon, Mélissa; Serodio, Paulo Matos; Crosbie, Eric; Teicholz, Nina; Naik, Ashka; Carriedo, Angela (2022-03-21). "Conflicts of interest for members of the US 2020 dietary guidelines advisory committee". Public Health Nutrition . 27 (1) e69. doi:10.1017/S1368980022000672. PMC   10966930 . PMID   35311630.