By Sarah Hallberg – Re-Blogged From The Hill
America is facing a chronic disease crisis. The federal government is fueling that crisis by promoting flawed nutritional advice that contradicts the latest research.
Every five years, the Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services publish the “Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” which detail which foods Americans should eat or avoid. The highly influential document directs food labeling, school menus, public food programs, and government research grants.
Researchers claim the guidelines are based on “the preponderance of current scientific and medical knowledge.” Yet, since they were first introduced back in 1980, they’ve barely changed, even though a recent revolution in nutritional science has cast doubt on old assumptions.
Prologue: This is a follow-up to a series of five essays that discussed ongoing scientific controversies, a specific type of which are often referred to in the science press and elsewhere as “Wars” – for instance, one essay covered the “Salt Wars