2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recognizes value of supplementation

WASHINGTON — The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans released Friday, while recommending people strive to get their nutrients through food, recognize dietary supplements as “useful in providing one or more nutrients that otherwise may be consumed in less than recommended amounts or that are of particular concern for specific population groups.”

 

“CRN is pleased to see the Guidelines’ recognition of dietary supplements as having a role to play in achieving optimal nutrition,” stated Duffy MacKay, SVP scientific and regulatory affairs for the Council for Responsible Nutrition. “We remind consumers that dietary supplements are supplements to, not substitutes for, a healthy diet. However, given the number of underconsumed nutrients in our population, dietary supplements are needed to fill in the nutrient gaps. We hope this influential roadmap for nutrition will help bring awareness to the real life need for supplementation.”

 

The Guidelines identified potassium, dietary fiber, choline, magnesium, calcium, and vitamins A, D, E and C as shortfall nutrients; that is, nutrients that are “consumed by many individuals in amounts below the Estimated Average Requirement or Adequate Intake levels.” 

 

More specifically, the Guidelines identified calcium, potassium, dietary fiber and vitamin D as “nutrients of public health concern because low intakes are associated with health concerns,” and suggested supplementing with vitamin D, “especially when sunshine exposure is limited due to climate or the use of sunscreen.”

 

Additionally, the Guidelines recommended iron supplementation for women who are pregnant, and folic acid for women “capable of becoming pregnant and who are pregnant.”