The panel's mission is to identify foods and beverages that help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight, promote health, and prevent disease. In addition to guiding the public at large, the guidelines significantly influence nutrition policies such as school lunch programs and feeding programs for the elderly.

The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) scientific report is an integral part of this process, as it serves as the foundation for the development of the dietary guidelines.

The DGAC submitted its 2015 Scientific Report1,2,3,4 to the HHS and USDA in February 2015, which, to many people's surprise, included the elimination of warnings about dietary cholesterol.

Another remarkable turnaround is the Advisory Committee's revised stance on fats. As noted in a recent Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)paper,5 the latest advisory report reverses nearly four decades of nutrition policy.