Purdue HHS faculty named to 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee

To ensure America’s dietary guidance reflects the latest science, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the appointment of 20 nationally recognized scientists, including two Purdue University College of Health and Human Sciences faculty, to serve on the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.

Regan Bailey, M.P.H, Ph.D, associate professor of Nutrition Science, and Richard Mattes, M.P.H, Ph.D, distinguished professor of Nutrition Science, were selected by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture to serve on the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Every five years a committee reviews the latest in nutrition and medical research to provide the scientific basis for these national recommendations. These guidelines provide the foundation for national nutrition programs, standards and education.

Bailey’s lab focuses efforts on understanding how to use dietary intakes, dietary patterns, and biomarkers of nutritional status to assess how dietary exposure relates to human health across the lifecourse.

Mattes leads research to better understand the neural, genetic, metabolic, hormonal, cognitive, cultural and especially sensory influences on human ingestive behavior, nutrient utilization and energy balance in healthy and clinical populations. 

The independent committee will review scientific evidence on topics and questions identified by the departments and will provide a report on their findings to the secretaries. Their review, along with public and agency comments, will help inform USDA and HHS’ development of the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs).

The complete list of members appointed to the expert committee can be found at DietaryGuidelines.gov.

The committee’s work will kick off at a public meeting to be announced in the coming weeks. The committee will review scientific evidence on specific nutrition and health related topics and scientific questions (PDF, 477 KB) that, for the first time, reflect both public comments and federal agency input. Throughout their deliberations, the public and other stakeholders will be encouraged to provide comments and feedback.

The scientists we selected to serve on the committee are national leaders in the areas of nutrition and health. HHS, USDA, and all Americans will benefit from the collective experience and expertise of the committee, which will conduct a rigorous examination of the scientific evidence on several diet-related health outcomes, including the prevention of cancer, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, which are three of the leading causes of death in the United States.

U.S. HHS Secretary Alex Azar

The next edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans will continue to focus on dietary patterns of what Americans eat and drink as a whole, on average and over time, to help prevent disease and keep people healthy. Additionally, the review process will take a life-stage approach and will, for the first time, include pregnant women and children from birth to 24 months as mandated by the 2014 Farm Bill.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are updated every five years and serve as the cornerstone of federal nutrition programs and policies, providing food-based recommendations to help prevent diet-related chronic diseases and promote overall health.