News Releases

American Beverage Association Comments on the 2010 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans Advisory Committee Meeting

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    
October 31, 2008            

Contacts:   
ABA Press Office                                                                 
(202) 463-6770

AMERICAN BEVERAGE ASSOCIATION COMMENTS ON THE 2010 U.S. DIETARY GUIDELINES FOR AMERICANS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING

PROPER HYDRATION AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ARE ESSENTIAL FOR ALL CONSUMERS

Following the first meeting of the 2010 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans Advisory Committee, Dr. Maureen Storey, senior vice president for science policy for the American Beverage Association, said:

 "The American Beverage Association looks forward to working with Committee members to ensure that the 2010 Dietary Guidelines are based on sound science, rather than ideology, and provide Americans with realistic dietary, hydration and physical activity guidelines.

The fundamental challenge is to keep the Dietary Guidelines current with the continuous evolution of our scientific knowledge. For example, earlier this month, the federal government released important physical activity guidelines that represent the starting line for living a healthy lifestyle.  For too long, policy-makers have paid far too little attention to the absolutely vital role that physical activity plays in weight management.

These physical activity guidelines should be incorporated into the 2010 Dietary Guidelines.  The Committee should also seriously consider a guideline on proper hydration.  Water is an essential nutrient which is vital for life and which the body cannot make itself.  Sources of water - including drinking water, beverages and food - are the ‘nutritional glue' for all metabolic functions in the body.  Therefore, meeting total fluid and water requirements for proper hydration is critical for overall health and wellness - and all beverages provide hydration.

Proper hydration is a common nutritional thread that runs through every age and gender group - infants, children, teens, young adults and older Americans.  In fact, in 2005, The Institute of Medicine (IOM) published Dietary Reference Intakes for water throughout the lifecycle.

We respectfully urge the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee to incorporate these two critical government documents - Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans and the IOM DRI report on water and electrolytes - into the dietary guidelines."

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The American Beverage Association is the trade association representing the broad spectrum of companies that manufacture and distribute non-alcoholic beverages in the United States.

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