Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Releases Scientific Report for 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans

The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) recently released its Scientific Report,  which will serve as the basis of the recommendations in the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.  Several of the Report’s key recommendations include:

• Ultra-processed foods: Finding limited evidence indicates that dietary patterns with greater amounts of ultra-processed foods are associated with the risk of obesity/overweight in adults, the DGAC recommends future committees consider examining the association of ultra-processed foods with growth, body composition, and risk of obesity.

• Plant-based foods: Finding moderate evidence that substituting processed or unprocessed red meat with plant sources of protein (such as beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds, or soy) by adults is associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease morbidity, the DGAC recommends replacing saturated-fat containing foods with plant-based foods for reduction in cardiovascular disease risk.

• Portion sizes: Finding strong evidence that larger portion sizes increase food and energy intake in adults and strong evidence that serving larger portions of energy dense foods increases energy intake in children, the DGAC recommends consuming smaller portions of foods and beverages that are high in energy density and low in nutrient density.

• Snacking: Finding limited evidence that frequency of daily snacking during childhood and overall snacking among adults may not be associated with outcomes related to body composition, and/or risk of obesity, the DGAC recommends providing specific strategies to improve the nutritional quality of the foods and beverages consumed as a snack.

As brief background, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) are required by law to publish a report at least every five years with “nutritional and dietary information and guidelines for the general public” that are “based on the preponderance of the scientific and medical knowledge which is current at the time the report is prepared.” ² The 2025-2030 Guidelines for Americans are due to be released by December 2025.³ The Guidelines pose an early opportunity for the Trump administration to impact food policy in 2025. Written comments may be submitted until February 10, 2025.⁴ This memorandum summarizes several of the major takeaways from the DGAC’s Scientific Advisory Report.

DGAC Addresses Several New Topics

The DGAC addressed several topics for the first time, including:

• dietary patterns with varying amounts of ultra-processed foods, and their relationship to greater adiposity (fat mass, waist circumference, body mass index) and risk of obesity/overweight;

• food sources of saturated fat and risk of cardiovascular disease;

• strategies for improving diet quality and weight management, which involved new reviews on portion size and frequency of meals and/or snacking; and

• practical guidance about how to feed younger children in terms of caregiver feeding styles and practices that support children’s consumption of healthy foods.

Current Dietary Intakes

Similar to its 2020 report, the DGAC states as background that more than 70% of Americans  are “overweight or obese” with more than half of all U.S. adults having one or more preventable chronic conditions. The report found that few people in the U.S. adhere to a diet that aligns with the current Dietary Guidelines recommendations. 

• For the majority of individuals ages 1 year and older, intakes of the following food groups and subgroups are generally below Dietary Guidelines recommendations: total vegetables; fruits; dairy and fortified soy alternatives; seafood; nuts; seeds and soy products; and whole grains.

• For the majority of individuals ages 1 year and older, intakes of the following food groups and subgroups are generally at or above Dietary Guidelines recommendations: total grains; refined grains; total protein foods; and (for ages 2 years and older) meat, poultry, and eggs. 
  The DGAC continues to identify the following as nutrients of concern related to underconsumption: vitamin D, calcium, potassium, and dietary fiber. Sodium, added sugars, and saturated fat are identified as nutrients of concern due to overconsumption. Of note, dietary modeling found that it is difficult for all population groups to stay below the Chronic Disease Risk Reduction intake for sodium (2,300 milligrams per day for ages 14 years and older), even when all foods exceeding a limit of 345 milligrams per serving (i.e. 15 percent of the Daily Value) were excluded. The DGAC concludes, “These analyses indicate that the food supply is high in sodium.”

General Recommendations for Diet

DGAC recommends merging the three dietary patterns from the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines into a unified "Eat Healthy Your Way" model, which emphasizes flexibility. Their recommendations include:

• reducing starchy vegetables to accommodate an increase in beans, peas, and lentils;

• moving beans, peas, and lentils to the protein group to emphasize intake of plant-based foods;

• providing clear advice to consumers to alert them to sodium levels in food; and

• drinking plain water and beverages that contribute beneficial nutrients, such as fat-free and low-fat milk and 100% juices; and reducing intake of beverages (e.g., sugar sweetened beverages) that contain calories while contributing limited or no beneficial nutrients.

Limited Evidence about Frequency of Eating and Snacking’s Impact on Health

The DGAC cites timing and size of eating occasions as potentially impacting nutrition and health, but found moderate evidence that the number of eating occasions per day in adults is not associated with body composition and weight. Snacking is highly prevalent in the United States, with 93 percent of children and adolescents ages 2- 19 years and 86 percent of adults ages 20 years and older reporting one or more snacks on a given day (excluding snacks of only plain water).⁵ The DGAC noted the contributions that snacking makes to daily nutrient intakes including calories, added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium.⁶

The DGAC made the following specific findings with respect to the role of snacking and/or number of eating occasions on the risk of disease or health issues:

• Limited evidence that frequency of daily snacking during childhood may not be associated with outcomes related to growth, body composition, and/or risk of obesity.

• Limited evidence that breakfast skipping, overall snacking, and number of eating occasions among adults may not be associated with outcomes related to body composition, body weight, and/or risk of obesity.

• Moderate evidence that the number of eating occasions per day in adults is not associated with outcomes related to change in body composition and weight.

• Limited evidence that after dinner/evening snacking in adults may be associated with less favorable outcomes related to body composition and risk of obesity. 

The DGAC recommends that HHS and USDA continue recommending nutrient-dense snacks as part of a healthy diet for children and adolescents.
The DGAC also recommends that the new Dietary Guidelines provide specific strategies to improve the nutritional quality of the foods and beverages consumed as a snack, noting that consumption of foods and beverages high in energy density and low in nutrient density could be replaced by nutrient-dense options such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and non-fat or low-fat dairy.

DGAC Recommends Smaller Portion Sizes

While the DGAC did not find conclusive evidence about the relationship between portion sizes consumed by children and adults and the risk of obesity, it did find strong evidence that larger portion sizes increases food and energy intake in adults and strong evidence that serving larger portions of energy dense foods increases energy intake in children. It also found moderate evidence that among adults, pre-portioned meals are associated with reduced energy intakes. Accordingly, the DGAC recommends adults and children consume smaller portions of foods and beverages that are high in energy density and low in nutrient density. The DGAC also recommends retail stores and food service establishments offer choices that allow energy-dense foods to be purchased in smaller, pre-portioned packages. Additionally, the DGAC recommends that HHS and USDA consider strategies to “decrease packaging chemical exposures and increase sustainability,” including repackaging bulk- or value-sized foods at home into smaller portions using sustainable options.

Recommendations on Saturated Fats

For the first time, DGAC formally evaluated food-level comparisons of foods with higher or lower levels of saturated fat to inform potential guidance for which foods across the dietary pattern could be increased, when saturated fat-containing foods are reduced, for cardiovascular disease risk reduction. The Committee’s findings reinforced recommendations in the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines to limit total saturated fat intake to less than ten percent of calories per day starting at age two by replacing it with unsaturated fat, particularly polyunsaturated fats.

Additional Evidence Regarding Dietary Patterns and Health Outcomes
 

The DGAC made the following specific findings with respect to the role of diet on the risk of disease or health issues:

Risk of Cardiovascular Disease 

• Strong evidence indicates that healthy dietary patterns consumed by adults that are characterized by higher intakes of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, whole grains, unsaturated relative to saturated fats and lower sodium, and lower intakes of red and processed meat, refined grains, and sugar-sweetened foods and beverages are associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease, including clinically meaningful improvements in blood lipids and blood pressure. Some of these dietary patterns also included low-fat dairy and seafood. These findings were consistent across diverse racial/ethnic groups and socioeconomic positions. 
• Moderate evidence that substituting processed or unprocessed red meat with plant sources of protein (such as beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds, or soy) by adults is associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease morbidity.
  
  

Body Weight

• Ultra-processed foods: Limited evidence indicates that dietary patterns consumed by, children, adolescents, adults and older adults with higher amounts of food classified as ultra-processed food are associated with greater adiposity (fat mass, waist circumference, body mass index) and greater risk of obesity and/or overweight. Notably, the DGAC’s conclusion is based on fifteen observational studies; the one existing controlled clinical trial on ultra-processed foods was excluded from consideration because it was too short. The DGAC noted that because several methods/definitions have been developed to characterize ultra-processed foods, the foods and dietary patterns included in the articles were not consistent, making it difficult to draw strong conclusions.

• Dietary pattern:  Moderate evidence indicates dietary patterns consumed by adults and older adults that are characterized by higher intakes of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, whole grains, and fish/seafood; and lower intakes of meats (including red and processed meats), refined grains and sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, are associated with lower adiposity (body fat, body weight, body mass index, and/or waist circumference) and lower risk of obesity. These dietary patterns also included higher intakes of unsaturated fats and lower intakes of saturated fats and sodium.

• Beverages: Systematic reviews suggest that a relationship does not exist (i.e., neither a beneficial nor an adverse relationship exists) between 100% juice consumption or low- and no-calorie sweetened beverages consumption and growth, body composition, or risk of obesity in children, adolescents, adults, or older adults.

• Milk and milk alternatives: Moderate evidence suggests that total milk consumption by adults is not associated with measures of body composition or risk of obesity.
  • Limited evidence suggests that total milk consumption by younger children may be associated with favorable growth and body composition. However, a conclusion cannot be drawn about the relationship of total milk consumption by older children and adolescents and growth, body composition, and risk of obesity.
  • A conclusion cannot be drawn about the relationship between consumption of milk alternatives by children and adults and body composition and risk of obesity because there is not enough evidence available.

Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

• Strong evidence indicates that healthy dietary patterns consumed by adults and older adults that are characterized by higher intakes of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, whole grains, and fish/seafood and lower intakes of red and processed meats, high-fat dairy products, refined grains, and sugar-sweetened foods and beverages are associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes. This evidence differs from the 2020 Scientific Report, which found only moderate support that healthy dietary patterns reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.⁷

Bone Health

• Moderate evidence indicates that a dietary pattern higher in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, low-fat dairy, whole grains, and fish, and lower in meats (particularly processed meats), sugar-sweetened beverages, and sweets is associated with favorable bone health outcomes in adults, primarily decreased risk of hip fracture.

Risk of Cancer

• Breast: Moderate evidence indicates that dietary patterns rich in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, and lower in animal-source foods and refined carbohydrates, are associated with reduced risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. The data regarding these dietary patterns and premenopausal breast cancer risk point in the same direction, but the evidence is limited as fewer studies include premenopausal breast cancer.

• Colon and Rectal: Moderate evidence indicates that dietary patterns higher in vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, lean meats and seafood, and low-fat dairy and low in red and processed meats, saturated fat and sugar-sweetened beverages and sweets relative to other dietary patterns are associated with lower risk of colon and rectal cancer. Moderate evidence also indicates that dietary patterns that are higher in red and processed meats, French fries, potatoes, and sources of sugars (e.g., sugar-sweetened beverages, sweets and dessert foods) are associated with a greater colon and rectal cancer risk.

Neurocognitive Health

• Moderate evidence suggests that dietary patterns containing vegetables, fruits, unsaturated vegetable oils and/or nuts, legumes, and fish or seafood consumed during adulthood are associated with lower risk of age-related cognitive impairment and/or dementia. This is a change from the 2020 Scientific Report, which only found limited evidence of a connection between diet and risk of cognitive impairment. 

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We will continue to monitor developments related to the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. If you have any questions regarding the Scientific Advisory Report or related issues please contact us.


 

Authored by Elizabeth Fawell, Veronica Colas, and Chigozie Akah.