Hoelscher Provides Nutritional Expertise on Newly Released Scientific Report of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has newly released the Scientific Report of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Regional Dean and John P. McGovern Professor in Health Promotion, Deanna Hoelscher, PhD, along with 19 other nationally recognized nutrition and public health experts from across the country, have worked to develop a scientific report that includes independent, evidence-based findings to inform future nutrition and health recommendations for the public.

This scientific report consists of the latest nutrition research evidence presented to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to inform federal agencies’ development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (Guidelines). The Guidelines, released every five years, inform federal nutrition programs, provide health care direction for dietitians and nutritionists, and highlight critical areas for future research.  

In a historic shift, committee experts enabled a health equity lens in their recommendations, incorporating social determinants of health and a focus on socioeconomic position in the report. This inclusion allows federal agencies to understand the increased dietary risk for communities unable to afford or access healthy food options.

“Our work is tightly woven into the fabric of public health, as we work to evaluate the relationships between food and health outcomes, and then translate that knowledge into action,” stated Hoelscher, director of the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living. “The healthfulness and safety of the foods that we eat has become a major public health topic, resulting in initiatives such as Food is Medicine. By integrating evidence from systematic reviews of dietary patterns and health outcomes, food pattern modeling, and dietary analyses, we were able to provide recommendations that can help shape the next iteration of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.”

The 2025 scientific report outlined strong associations between consumption of healthy dietary patterns and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease in adults and older adults, regardless of racial/ethnic or socioeconomic background. These findings suggest that increasing intake of vegetables, fruits, beans/peas/lentils, and nuts while lowering intakes of red and processed meats, refined grains, and sugar-sweetened foods and beverages were associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes in adults.

Highlights from the report included:

• Eating later in the day was associated with less favorable outcomes and risk of obesity in adults
• Lowering the intake of red and processed meat and including plant-based proteins in your diet is associated with better cardiovascular disease outcomes
• Including culturally responsive strategies and foods in federal programs can provide foods that align with an individual’s current eating practices and preferences

The next phase of drafting the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans consists of a public comment period, where citizens are asked to provide a written statement in response to the report by February 10, 2025. Afterward, DHHS and USDA will review all comments as part of the development of the Dietary Guidelines, which are slated for release in late 2025.

“Participation in the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee work was one of the most stimulating and rewarding experiences of my career. It was an honor to work with such dedicated researchers, staff, and federal employees committed to providing the best dietary advice to the American public to allow them to achieve not only optimal lifespan but optimal healthspan.”