Source: Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 11/6/15


Journalist Nina Teicholz, the author of the book, “The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet,” is continuing to ruffle the feathers of those who hold the opposite view as the battle over how meat should be positioned in the government’s dietary guidelines heats up.

The latest is a letter the Center for Science in the Public Interest posted on its website asking the British Medical Journal (BMJ) to retract an article it published in September written by Teicholz. The article questioned the scientific rigor of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee recommendations for the U.S. government’s official 2015 dietary recommendations specific to meat and saturated fat.

In October, Teicholz responded to critics and defended her article on a forum on the BMJ’s website.

The BMJ has responded to media inquiries in the past noting the Teicholz article was reviewed by three nutrition experts, three internal editors and fact checked. Regarding the most recent letter, a BMJ editor told POLITICO, "The BMJ is continuing to review this matter and will respond more fully when our further inquiries are complete."

On her own blog, Teicholz also defends her work.

“The truth is getting out there. Criticizing me personally is not going to stop that truth,” Teicholz wrote. “Part of the effort to discredit me is to suggest that I’m tied to industry. This is a long-standing tactic employed by CSPI and Marion Nestle, who suggest that everyone who disagrees with them is on the payroll of the food industry, usually the meat, dairy and egg industries. I do not receive funding from any industry nor do I work with them,” she wrote.

“Wherever the science truly leads, we should all follow. This is not 'my’ science vs. anyone else’s science, but a step towards a more rigorous process to produce credible Guidelines that can make Americans healthy.”

The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee submitted its recommendations to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Matthews Burwell in February.

In its report, the committee identified a healthy dietary pattern as higher in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low- or non-fat dairy, seafood, legumes, and nuts; moderate in alcohol (among adults); lower in red and processed meat; and low in sugar sweetened foods and drinks and refined grains. For conclusions with moderate to strong evidence, higher intake of red and processed meats was identified as detrimental compared to lower intake. Higher consumption of sugar-sweetened foods and beverages as well as refined grains was identified as detrimental as well.

In October, Vislack told a congressional hearing that the official guidelines were not yet written but they are likely to treat the inclusion of lean meat in the average American’s diet in much the same way as was written into the 2010 version.

For more stories, go to www.meatingplace.com.