Daisy Zamora, PhD, contributes to the scientific evidence review informing the newly released 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA).
A UNC School of Medicine researcher contributed to the scientific evidence review informing the newly released 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). Daisy Zamora, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the UNC School of Medicine who served on the scientific team that reviewed and synthesized research on diet and health.
The new edition reflects an evidence-based review of nutrition research examining relationships between dietary patterns and health.
Zamora’s work focused on synthesizing research on the health effects of saturated fat intake and carbohydrate quality.
National health data provide context for the evidence reviewed in the Guidelines:
- 72% of U.S. adults have excess body weight.
- 41% meet criteria for obesity.
- 10% have severe obesity.
- 14% are diabetic, and 43% are prediabetic.
Similar trends appear among seniors with diabetes and among adolescents, where obesity rates continue to rise.
Within this context, the DGA treats minimally processed, nutrient-dense foods (including vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs, nuts, seeds, dairy, whole grains, beans, and seafood) as a baseline for healthy eating. Zamora notes that while convenience foods such as ready-to-eat meals are quick and easy, many highly processed foods are made primarily from refined sugars, refined starches, added oils, and various additives, with fewer intact whole-food ingredients. Higher consumption of these foods has been linked to increased risk of cardiometabolic diseases.
“Protein matters, but the form it comes in matters too,” said Zamora. “The evidence reviewed for the Dietary Guidelines places greater emphasis on minimally processed sources like eggs, milk, yogurt, meats, beans, fish, poultry, and nuts, particularly given the limited long-term data on many protein-added products.”The 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines outline current evidence informing federal dietary guidance. For a full review of the Guidelines, click here.
“U.S. diets have shifted over the last century toward diets where highly processed foods, beverages, and engineered food-like items provide most calories,” continued Zamora. “At the same time, obesity and diabetes remain high and continue to rise.”
Diet and health intersect in complex ways. Today’s food environment makes highly processed, calorie-dense foods easy to find and consume, alongside high rates of metabolic disease. The guidelines summarize evidence reviewed in this context.
Media Contact: Brittany Phillips, Communications Specialist, UNC Health | UNC School of Medicine