Standards of Evidence for Dietary Guidelines

Last week I ran across these three articles from The American Journal of Preventive Medicine on Marion Nestle’s What to Eat blog.

The articles are an editorial calling for a higher standards of evidence for dietary guidelines, followed by a rebuttal (co-authored by Dr. Nestle), followed by a response to the rebuttal.

Editorial, A Call for Higher Standards of Evidence for Dietary Guidelines

Rebuttal, Do Dietary Guidelines Explain the Obesity Epidemic?

Response, The Authors Respond

Dr. Nestle, by the way, mischaracterizes the editorial when she asks, on her blog, Do Dietary Guidelines Do More Harm Than Good?  The editorial itself does not recommend doing away with guidelines, instead suggesting that scientists and public policy makers need to do a better job having their ducks in a row before issuing blanket statments.

I talk too much.  I want to practice my listening skills.  Readers, if you are so inclined, take a look at the editorial, the rebuttal, and the response, and let me know what you think.  The total number of pages is 11, and there isn’t much scientific jargon – a nice bit of reading for your lunch break or afternoon train ride.