In an earlier era, the American Heart Assn. and the U.S. federal government were very closely aligned on what the American public should eat and why.<\/p>\n
Dietary guidelines from the cardiovascular research nonprofit largely mirrored <\/a>those published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. American Heart Assn. representatives advised the government on the science behind its dietary advice.<\/p>\n But as is the case with many public health issues these days, the distance between the policies recommended by established medical groups and those endorsed by Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appears to be growing wider.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, American Heart Assn. released its updated guidelines<\/a> for a heart-healthy diet. Like the new federal dietary guidelines released back in January<\/a>, the document cautions against processed foods and refined sugars.<\/p>\n But the group pressed back on some nutrition claims that Kennedy and Make America Healthy Again influencers have touted in public statements and written into federal policy.<\/p>\n Unlike the new federally authorized inverted food pyramid<\/a>, which gives top billing to an enormous cut of steak, a tray of ground meat, a hunk of cheese and carton of whole milk, the American Heart Assn. urges plant-based proteins over red meat, and low- or nonfat dairy products over whole-fat options.<\/p>\n In contrast to Kennedy\u2019s declaration in January that the U.S. was \u201cending the war on saturated fat,\u201d the heart association continues to recommend unsaturated fat sources over saturated ones for the sake of cardiovascular health.<\/p>\n The heart association also pushes back on Kennedy\u2019s well-publicized passion for beef tallow as a replacement for seed oils, which he has accused (despite shaky evidence<\/a>) of \u201cpoisoning\u201d Americans<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cAnimal fats (eg, beef tallow and butter) and tropical oils (eg, coconut oil, cocoa butter, and palm oil) are relatively high in saturated fat, whereas nontropical plant oils (eg, soybean, canola, and olive oils) are relatively high in unsaturated fat,\u201d the American Heart Assn. paper reads. \u201cIn summary, as part of heart-healthy dietary patterns, nontropical plant sources of fat should be used as part of food preparation in place of animal fats and tropical oils.\u201d<\/p>\n In response to questions, both the American Heart Assn. and Department of Health and Human Services emphasized their shared objectives over any differences.<\/p>\n \u201cThe American Heart Association\u2019s [paper] is aligned with the Dietary Guidelines on the major issues: eat real food, avoid highly processed food, and limit refined grains and added sugar,\u201d said Andrew Nixon, a health department spokesman. \u201cWe look forward to working collaboratively with the [American Heart Assn.] to evangelize these core principles and reverse the diet-related chronic disease epidemic.\u201d<\/p>\n The heart association and the federal government have different purposes when drafting their recommendations, said Dr. Simin Liu, director of UC Irvine\u2019s Center for Global Cardiometabolic Health & Nutrition and a professor at the UC Irvine School of Medicine.<\/p>\n The heart association\u2019s guidelines are intended to reflect the best available evidence on nutrition and cardiovascular health outcomes, whereas federal nutrition standards inform the content of federally funded meals served in schools, hospitals and military dining facilities, and help determine foods included under assistance plans like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.<\/p>\n The two sets of guidelines aren\u2019t totally at odds. The heart association applauded<\/a> the government\u2019s warnings against added sugars, refined grains and processed foods in January, noting that the advice aligns with the organization\u2019s long-standing recommendations<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThose of us in the field have been pushing for food-based dietary recommendations, like advocating people eat actual foods instead of [processed] food products,\u201d Liu said, but \u201cthe focus on animal product consumption is a bit off the mark.\u201d<\/p>\n The administration\u2019s hearty endorsement of animal protein sources surprised many health groups, as a diet rich in red meat is strongly associated with poorer cardiovascular health.<\/p>\n