Scientific Report of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Discusses Importance of Foods and Beverages Integral to American Indian and Alaska Native People
On December 11, 2024, the Scientific Report of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (Scientific Report) was officially submitted to the Secretaries of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Report includes NCUIH’s September 30, 2024, recommendation to incorporate research on Traditional Foods into the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines by conducting a simulation that analyzed expert-identified foods and beverages integral to and consumed by American Indian and Alaska Native people with positive results.
- Read the full report here.
The DGAC is accepting written comments on the Scientific Report until Saturday, February 8, 2025. DGAC will also accept oral comments via virtual format on January 16, 2025, at 1 PM ET. Click here for more information on the comment opportunities on this Scientific Report.
Background
Under section 301 of Public Law 101-445 (7 U.S.C. 5341, the National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act of 1990, title III), the Secretaries of HHS and USDA are directed to publish the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (Dietary Guidelines) jointly at least every five years. The law instructs that this publication shall contain nutritional and dietary information and guidelines for the general public; shall be based on the preponderance of scientific and medical knowledge current at the time of publication; and shall be promoted by each Federal agency in carrying out any Federal food, nutrition, or health program. The current edition of the Dietary Guidelines (2020-2025) provides guidance on the entire lifespan, from birth to older adulthood, including pregnancy and lactation. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 will continue to provide food-based dietary guidance across the entire lifespan to help meet nutrient needs, promote health, and reduce the risk of chronic disease. HHS and USDA appointed the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (2025 DGAC) to conduct an independent scientific review that will help inform the Departments’ development of the next edition of the Dietary Guidelines.
Discussion of American Indian and Alaska Native Diets and Traditional Foods
The report conducted analyses for overall U.S. diets. The simulations considered foods and beverages that the CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey reported as consumed. To be responsive to public comments that called for the Dietary Guidelines to be inclusive of American Indian and Alaska Native populations by considering American Indian and Alaska Native Traditional Foods, a separate simulation was conducted to simulate food and beverages identified by experts as included in select American Indian and Alaska Native diets.
The simulations “confirmed that nutrient requirements could be met using the foods identified as integral and included in those diets with limited exceptions; that finding was consistent across the U.S. population, not just the select American Indian and Alaska Native diets.” This positive news allows for the “inclusion of foods and beverages identified by experts as integral to and consumed by select American Indian and Alaska Native groups, who continue to experience significant health disparities.” The finding also advances the DGAC’s goals for health equity and “ensuring that the Dietary Guidelines are relevant and actionable across all segments of the U.S. population.” The Scientific Report states that more research is needed on the dietary patterns and preferences of American Indian and Alaska Native populations to address knowledge gaps regarding American Indian and Alaska Native diets.
NCUIH’s Role
In the September 30, 2024, comment to HHS, NCUIH:
- Recommended that the 2025 DGAC incorporate research on Traditional Foods into the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines.
- Requested HHS and USDA engage with American Indian and Alaska Native communities through Tribal Consultation and Urban Confer.
NCUIH will continue to monitor the development of the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines.
