F.D.A. Ruling Would All but Eliminate Trans Fats

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/08/health/fda-trans-fats.html?_r=0

Category: Health

Level: National

This article concerns policies that affect individuals and families.

This article discusses the ruling of the FDA that will require food manufacturers to prove the safety of partially hydrogenated oils before including them in food products

My views:

Hallelujah! Years after the Institute of Medicine reported that there is NO safe level of consumption for trans-fats, the FDA is proposing to remove partially hydrogenated oils from the "Generally Recognized as Safe" list. Once removed from that list, food manufacturers will have to PROVE that they are safe for consumers before including them in their food products.

Trans-fats are an undesirable byproduct of the hydrogenation process of oils. This process makes vegetable oils, which are naturally liquid at room temperature, become more solid like saturated fats (think: butter). We as a nation began consuming them in great quantities with as fear of saturated fats rose and vegetable-oil based spreads became more popular. The great irony is that trans-fats are killers. They are infinitely worse for you than saturated fats. About six to eight years ago, the FDA required that trans-fats be listed on the Nutrtion Facts panel. This decreased our consumption about three or four times.

Many people unwittingly continued consuming trans-fats, however. The FDA allowed foods containing less than 0.5 g trans-fat per serving to boast "Zero Trans Fats" on the food label. Many of these foods came in packages with many servings, so an unsuspicious consumer could consume many grams of trans-fat unawares.

The elimination of trans-fat from our diet will make a difference in the rates of chronic disease. More than that, the action of the FDA makes me optimistic that more changes will come down the pipeline... perhaps the long-awaited rules on front-of-package labeling? A girl can dream.