Last week the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) released a “bombshell” report saying ultra-processed foods (UPF) cannot be causally linked to obesity and that the studies linking the two have been “biased.” Only segments of the report have been made available online.
The DGAC findings inform nutrition labels and public health recommendations for food. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans is a joint report published by Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) from 20 nutrition experts tasked with drafting new national nutrition recommendations for 2026-2031.
Considering the three-letter agencies’ track record, particularly the public health response to Covid in this country, I’d think twice before looking to them for dietary advice.
There’s No Debate About ‘Ultra-Processed’
The DGAC report states that since there is not one clear agreed-upon definition of “ultra-processed,” more research needs to be done before they can offer conclusive guidelines on processed foods. As it stands now, a soft drink such as Mountain Dew, probably one of the least nutritious beverages available, is in the same category as your multigrain bread. This, the experts say, provides a less accurate measure of what is or isn’t detrimental to health. The bread, they argue, can be nutritionally beneficial offering fiber (usually nominal at best), vitamins (ones that often have to be added back in because all the original ingredients have been stripped of their essential nutrients), and even some protein (better off just eating a chicken breast with some avocado).
That may be, but processed
