The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) have released the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the federal government’s evidence-based nutritional guidance to promote health, reduce the risk of chronic diseases and reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity through improved nutrition and physical activity. The guidelines focus on balancing calories with physical activity, and encourage Americans to consume more healthy foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fat-free and low-fat dairy products and seafood, and to consume less sodium, saturated and trans fats, added sugars and refined grains.

According to the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3 (GOED), Salt Lake City, UT, the guidelines fail to account for low intake of omega 3s EPA and DHA. Consistent with prior Dietary Guidelines revisions, increased seafood consumption was recommended for the general population, in part for its EPA and DHA content. In contrast to the available scientific evidence, there was no recommendation for pregnant or lactating women to increase consumption of seafood (i.e., DHA) above and beyond what is recommended for the general population, GOED noted. Also, low intakes of specific nutrients were cited as posing public health concerns for the first time, but EPA and DHA were not included on this list. USDA and HHS note that low intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, milk and seafood has led to low enough intakes of potassium, dietary fiber, calcium and vitamin D to create public health concerns. Even though low seafood intakes were called out specifically, EPA and DHA did not make the list of concerns despite documented estimates that more people die from low omega 3 intakes than from low fruit and vegetable consumption in the U.S., GOED said.