US government launches radical plan to fight obesity

THE US government, alarmed by Americans’ increasing weight, has issued radical new dietary guidelines advising them to exercise for about an hour a day, eat more fruits and vegetables and slash their intakes of the fats found in processed foods.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, considered the gold standard of nutrition advice, are revised every five years by the departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture. They are being used to update the Food Guide Pyramid at a time when about 65% of Americans are overweight or obese.

The most dramatic, and likely to be the most controversial, recommendation is that adults do 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity most days to prevent weight gain and 60 to 90 minutes of daily physical activity to sustain weight loss.