To the Editor: To control the modern epidemics of preventable disease, Australia’s dietary guidelines recommend moderation in four nutritional areas — fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt. In spite of this, the obesity and diabetes epidemics seem unstoppable.1 This is hardly surprising — these guidelines seldom reach the public, and they recommend “moderation” without defining it.
The full article is accessible to AMA members and paid subscribers. Login to read more or purchase a subscription now.
Please note: institutional and Research4Life access to the MJA is now provided through Wiley Online Library.
- 1. Zimmet PZ, James WPT. The unstoppable obesity and diabetes juggernaut. Med J Aust 2006; 185: 187-188. <MJA full text>
- 2. UK Food Standards Agency. Signposting. http://www.food.gov.uk/foodlabelling/signposting/ (accessed Aug 2006).
- 3. Joint National Committee. The seventh report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. JAMA 2003; 289: 2560-2572.
- 4. Sacks FM, Svetkey LP, Vollmer WM, et al. Effects on blood pressure of reduced dietary sodium and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. N Engl J Med 2001; 344: 3-10.
- 5. Riley MD, Beard TC. Choose foods low in salt. In: National Health and Medical Research Council. Dietary guidelines for Australian adults. Canberra: NHMRC, 2003: 133-150. http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/publications/_files/n33.pdf (accessed Nov 2006).
Online responses are no longer available. Please refer to our instructions for authors page for more information.
Malcolm Riley is the Nutrition Manager for Dairy Australia.