Dr. Mercola July 27 2002 2,266 views
Pastry and fried food lovers beware: there is no level of trans fatty acids that is safe to consume, a report from the Institute of Medicine concluded.
The report is likely to lead the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to go ahead with stalled plans to order manufacturers to disclose the trans fatty acid content of foods on packaging.
An expert panel at the Institute of Medicine issued a detailed review of research into trans fatty acids, the class of fat found in abundance in stick margarine, hydrogenated vegetable shortening and foods that contain them.
Though the panel had the option to declare a safe upper limit of daily trans fatty acid consumption, it declined to do so. "It is recommended that trans fatty acid consumption be as low as possible while consuming a nutritionally adequate diet.
Trans fatty acids are known to increase blood levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL), so-called "bad" cholesterol, while lowering levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL), known as "good" cholesterol. A blood profile containing high LDL and low HDL is a strong risk factor for heart disease.
Trans fatty acids are common in foods containing shortening, including pastries and fried foods, and are found in lower levels in dairy products and meats.
FDA proposed ordering the labeling of trans fatty acid levels on food packages in 1999 but held off finalizing the regulation until the Institute of Medicine issued its report. The agency is likely to go ahead with a rule ordering the labeling, according to press reports.
In 1994, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) petitioned the FDA to require that Nutrition Facts labels disclose trans fat. In 1999, the Food and Drug Administration proposed to require trans fat labeling, but delayed finalizing a regulation, in part, to consider a report from the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine, which was just released.
Center for Science in the Public Interest July 10, 2002
Trans fats have only been around for the last 100 years, introduced as an artifact of the food processing industry. 90% of trans fats are hidden. It is in many of the processed foods Americans eat, not just margarine.
How much processed food does America eat?
Well, 90% of the money Americans spend on food goes toward processed foods. We need to reverse this trend and spend 90% on whole unprocessed foods. That is why the upcoming label requirements that display trans fats will be so helpful. The FDA has been waiting three years for this report and, hopefully, will implement the labeling requirement soon.
In a more specific example, the average American has four servings of French fries per week, and McDonald's - the world's leading distributor of French fries -- has better brand name recognition that any company on the planet.
(On a side note, I strongly recommend the book Fast Food Nation. A New York Times bestseller, it provides a compelling history of McDonald's. It is written from the perspective of a small community named Colorado Springs, my future residence, so I particularly enjoyed the book as it was also the best history of the city I have ever read.)
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