Americans Are Still Eating Too Much Added Sugar, Fat

I subscribe to the NIH Director’s Blog. An interesting email hit my inbox today describing the following study:

Shan, Z. et al. Trends in Dietary Carbohydrate, Protein, and Fat Intake and Diet Quality Among US Adults, 1999-2016. JAMA 322, 1178-1187 (2019). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31550032

This manuscript is an analysis of eating habits of 44,000 adults over 16 years, looking at adherence to the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans using the Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015).

A few interesting facts gleaned from the paper:

• Americans continue to get more than half their calories from low-quality carbohydrates and saturated fat.
• Although there is a long way to go, Americans are eating foods with less added sugar, more whole grains, plant proteins, and healthy fats.
• Despite the improvement, refined grains, starchy vegetables, and added sugars account for 42% of the average American’s diet.
• Whole grains and fruit are only 9% of American’s diet
• The shift toward whole grains, nuts, and beans wasn’t seen in lower socioeconomic groups or the elderly.

The take-home point: Although there have been some positive developments in the average American diet, all of us and especially the elderly and those facing socioeconomic challenges, have a long way to go.