Dietary Guidelines for Americans - SchoolNutritionAndFitness.com

who both consumed the DASH diet and reducedtheir sodium intake.Americans should reduce their sodium intake toless than 2,300 mg or 1,500 mg per day dependingon age and other individual characteristics.African Americans, individuals with hypertension,diabetes, or chronic kidney disease and individualsages 51 and older, comprise about half of the U.S.population ages 2 and older. While nearly everyonebenefits from reducing their sodium intake, theblood pressure of these individuals tends to beeven more responsive to the blood pressure-raisingeffects of sodium than others; therefore, theyshould reduce their intake to 1,500 mg per day.Additional dietary modifications may be neededfor people of all ages with hypertension, diabetes,or chronic kidney disease, and they are advisedto consult a health care professional. Given thecurrent U.S. marketplace and the resulting excessivehigh sodium intake, it is challenging to meeteven the less than 2,300 mg recommendation—fewer than 15 percent of Americans do so currently.An immediate, deliberate reduction in thesodium content of foodsfor More inforMationSee chapter 4 for adiscussion of the healthbenefits of foods thatcontain potassium.in the marketplaceis necessary to allowconsumers to reducesodium intake to lessthan 2,300 mg or1,500 mg per day now.fatsDietary fats are found in both plant and animalfoods. Fats supply calories and essential fatty acids,and help in the absorption of the fat-soluble vitaminsA, D, E, and K. The IOM established acceptableranges for total fat intake for children andadults (children ages 1 to 3 years: 30–40% of calories;children and adolescents ages 4 to 18 years:25–35%; adults ages 19 years and older: 20–35%)(see Table 2-4). These ranges are associated withreduced risk of chronic diseases, such as cardiovasculardisease, while providing for adequate intake ofessential nutrients. Total fat intake should fall withinthese ranges.Fatty acids are categorized as being saturated,monounsaturated, or polyunsaturated. Fats containa mixture of these different kinds of fatty acids. Transfatty acids are unsaturated fatty acids. However,they are structurally different from the predominantunsaturated fatty acids that occur naturally in plantfoods and have dissimilar health effects.The types of fatty acids consumed are more importantin influencing the risk of cardiovascular diseasethan is the total amount of fat in the diet. Animalfats tend to have a higher proportion of saturatedfatty acids (seafood being the major exception),and plant foods tend to have a higher proportion ofmonounsaturated and/or polyunsaturated fatty acids(coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and palm oil being theexceptions) (Figure 3-3).Most fats with a high percentage of saturated ortrans fatty acids are solid at room temperature andare referred to as “solid fats,” while those with moreunsaturated fatty acids are usually liquid at roomtemperature and are referred to as “oils.” Solid fatsare found in most animal foods but also can be madefrom vegetable oils through the process of hydrogenation,as described below.Despite longstanding recommendations on total fat,saturated fatty acids, and cholesterol, intakes of thesefats have changed little from 1990 through 2005–2006, the latest time period for which estimates areavailable. Total fat intake contributes an average of34 percent of calories. The following sections providedetails on types of fat to limit in the diet.Saturated fatty acidsThe body uses some saturated fatty acids forphysiological and structural functions, but it makesmore than enough to meet those needs. Peopletherefore have no dietary requirement for saturatedfatty acids. A strong body of evidence indicatesthat higher intake of most dietary saturated fattyacids is associated with higher levels of blood totalcholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)cholesterol. Higher total and LDL cholesterol levelsare risk factors for cardiovascular disease.Consuming less than 10 percent of calories fromsaturated fatty acids and replacing them withmonounsaturated and/or polyunsaturated fattyacids is associated with low blood cholesterol levels,and therefore a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.Lowering the percentage of calories from dietarysaturated fatty acids even more, to 7 percent ofcalories, can further reduce the risk of cardiovascularDIETARY GUIDELINES FOR AMERICANS, 2010 | Chapter Three 24