PROPOSED U.S. DIETARY GUIDELINES (2/25/00)



The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have issued a call for public comments on the proposed 2000 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

BACKGROUND
Every five years, the federal government updates dietary guidelines for Americans. As in the past, a section on alcohol consumption is included in the 2000 version. NCADD testified last year before the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, urging it’s members to make modifications that provided more specific information, based on scientific evidence. (If you would like a copy of our testimony, please call the Public Policy Office).

We believe the proposed 2000 Dietary Guidelines are an improvement and are urging DHHS and USDA to approve the advisory committee’s recommendations, with two additional modifications. The proposed Guidelines have been posted on-line at www.ars.usda.gov/dgac.

WHAT YOU CAN DO
Write to Secretary Shalala and Secretary Glickman, and urge them to approve the proposed guidelines, with two modifications. A sample letter follows. The deadline for comments is March 15, 2000.

If you have any questions, please contact the Public Policy Office via email at publicpolicy@ncadd.org.

SAMPLE LETTER
The Honorable Donna Shalala
Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Room 615-F
Washington, D.C. 20201


OR

The Honorable Daniel Glickman
Secretary, Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Room 200-A
Washington, D.C. 20250


Dear Secretary (Shalala) (Glickman):

The (name of your organization) strongly supports the guidelines for alcohol consumption drafted by the dietary guidelines advisory committee. The new guidelines are a sound improvement over the information provided in the 1995 version; we urge you to approve them with two modifications.

The advisory committee has included important information that reflects the latest scientific research. The guidelines are specific regarding both the risks and benefits of drinking at moderate and heavier than moderate levels, and have eliminated two sentences which were vague and potentially misleading.

Again, however, we urge you to strengthen the wording relating to the potential health risks for alcoholics. In their testimony before the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on March 8, 1999, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence recommended the inclusion of the following statement drafted by their Medical/Scientific Committee and approved by their Board of Directors in 1995:



We also encourage you to include language in box 26, "What is Moderate Drinking?," that more specifically defines moderate drinking for older people. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism advises that men over the age of 65 should not consume more than one drink per day because of changes that occur in the body as a person ages. This important information should not be ignored.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,