March 21, 2007

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COLLEGE STATION – Low fat ... high fiber ... vegetarian ... high carb ... low carb ... no carb: Nutritional information can be confusing.

Dr. Joanne Lupton hoped to clear up some of that confusion with her talk, "From Molecules to Food Patterns: The Challenge of Developing a National Nutrition Policy."

This presentation, part of the University Distinguished Lecture Series at Texas A&M University, was held at 7:30 p.m. March 20 at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center in College Station.

Lupton holds a joint appointment with Texas A&M and Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. She is a professor of nutrition and food science, Regent's professor, a University Faculty Fellow and holder of the William W. Allen Chair in Nutrition at Texas A&M.

She has also been involved in establishing national nutritional guidelines, which include the Food Guide Pyramid. The task has not been easy, she said.

Lupton put it this way: "Because people eat foods, not nutrients, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee is mandated to develop dietary patterns which people can follow to provide 100 percent of all required nutrients without exceeding energy intake – a task more difficult than it may appear."

For example, she continued, currently the average American eats only half of the recommended daily amount of fiber. This meant the committee gave high priority to selecting high-fiber foods for the nutritional policy.

These foods have been shown to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, but too many servings – especially for individuals who don't get much physical activity – can contribute to weight gain, Lupton said.

And "the rising rate of obesity" is the "most important health problem," she said.

Anyone who wants to maintain the highest level of nutrition should start by establishing a healthy weight, Lupton said.

Then establish a routine of physical activity and a diet that is based on fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean sources of protein, she said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's My Pyramid can help. For help in establishing a personal version of the food guide pyramid, visit the Web at http://www.mypyramid.gov/ .

The Distinguished Lecture Series was established in 1998 "as a forum to present distinguished scholars from an array of disciplines," according to the Web site at http://www.tamu.edu/provost/tamudls/ . Past lecturers have included Dr. Michael DeBakey, cardiovascular surgeon; Dr. Paul Sereno, paleontologist and National Geographic Explorer in Residence; and Rita Dove, former Poet Laureate of the United States.

Lupton's honors listed on the Web site include: lifetime associate of the National Academy of Sciences, recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching from the Association of Former Students at Texas A&M and recipient of a teaching award from the USDA. She is also president-elect of the American Society for Nutrition.

Being chosen as a Distinguished Lecturer "is a big honor to me," Lupton said.