ANAHEIM, CALIF. — Sodium and SOFAS potentially may face more negative critiques in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans while prebiotics and probiotics may be explored, said Dr. Eric J. Hentges, Ph.D., director of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.

Dr. Hentges, now executive director of Washington-based International Life Sciences Institution North America, spoke Monday in the session "The evolution of dietary guidance: Lessons learned and new frontiers," at the Institute of Food Technologists’ annual meeting and food exposition.

He said SOFAS stands for solid fats, alcohol and added sugars. The 2010 Guidelines may tell Americans to consume less of all these items. The Guidelines also may drop their level of maximum daily sodium intake to 1,500 mg from 2,300 mg, Dr. Hentges said.

The Guidelines may go into more detail into fiber and whole grains, such as the different kinds of fiber and how different whole grains have different amounts of fiber, he said. New areas to be explored may include prebiotic fibers and probiotics. The Guidelines may focus more on individual fatty acids, such as the need to decrease consumption of trans fats and saturated fats.

Another speaker, Dr. Connie M. Weaver, Ph.D., a professor at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., was on the 2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. She said the 2005 committee was unable to find time to study dietary supplements and beverages at length, but the 2010 committee may do so.

Guidelines on potassium may change since new literature has emerged, Dr. Weaver said. She said she wonders if the 2010 Guidelines will change much for vitamin D. While scientific studies have come out suggesting the need for higher Adequate Intake (A.I.) levels for vitamin D, the Institute of Medicine will not come out with new levels before the Guidelines. Thus, new vitamin D recommendations may have to wait until the 2015 Guidelines, Dr. Weaver said.

Dr. Robert C. Post, Ph.D., the deputy director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, Alexandria, Va., heads the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. He said the committee will examine ways to eat healthy at a low cost; changes in consumer behavior, both societal and environmental; and instructional systems to promote the new Guidelines.

The committee will use an Internet-based nutrition library set up by the C.N.P.P. It has the capability to categorize public comments, thus allowing subcommittees to receive and segregate comments in their specific research areas.