FDA Pulls the Plug on Trans Fats

Back in 2006, the Food and Drug Administration passed a law stating that all food manufacturers were required to list trans fats on food labels.  However, as of last Thursday, the FDA determined that partially hydrogenated oil is no longer “generally recognized as safe” for use in food!
This major announcement paves the way for the eventual elimination of, or, at the very least, strict curbs on, the use of artificial trans fat in food.  It will now be required for food manufacturers to gradually eliminate artificial trans fats from food products all together.  With this ongoing effort to eliminate these bad fats from the foods we eat, many may wonder why, in fact, these fats are so dangerous for your health.

Trans fats are not a natural fat, meaning, they are artificially made by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil in order to solidify it and increase its shelf life.  This process is known as hydrogenation and these fats are often seen on labels as partially hydrogenated oils.  Trans fats are especially common in commercial baked goods, such as crackers, cookies and cakes, fried foods like French fries and donuts and frozen foods like pizza and chicken nuggets.

Unlike other fats, trans fats have sort of a “double whammy” effect on your cholesterol levels.  Once these partially hydrogenated fats enter your body, they not only increase your LDL (bad) cholesterol, but they also decrease your HDL (good) cholesterol.  As the levels of LDL in your blood increase, they become oxidized forming plaque buildup in your arteries.  Having a lower level of HDL is equally dangerous because this is what is responsible for removing this bad cholesterol from your blood.  Consuming foods with trans fat can led to heart disease, atherosclerosis, inflammation, heart attack and stroke.

According to the FDA commissioner, the elimination of trans fats could potentially prevent 20,000 heart attacks a year and 7,000 deaths.  It has been previously estimated that the average American consumes 4.7 pounds of trans fats per year.  The American Heart Association recommends that trans fat should account for less than 1% of your total calories per day.

As this effort is underway to eliminate trans fats completely, you should always check for trans fatty acids on food packaging and limit the intake of processed foods as much as possible.

Your turn to take action: What are your thoughts on the banning of trans fats?

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