 Washington, DC (CNN) -- As you might have suspected, the news
from scientists about fat in foods only gets worse.
The non-governmental consumer group Center for Science
in the Public Interest (CSPI) issued a warning Wednesday
for a group of fats called "Trans Fats" not normally
counted when assessing a food's nutritional content.
CSPI wants restaurants to switch to liquid vegetable oils,
which have no trans fats, and for food packagers to indicate
Trans Fat amounts on such products a margarines and microwave
popcorn.
Trans Fat is the evil artery-clogging
relative of saturated fat, according to CSPI. But Trans Fat is potentially more
dangerous than saturated fat because the public is unaware
of its existence.
 The
new enemy of your arteries lurks in the always-popular
category of fried foods: things like donuts and french
fries. These foods already contain saturated fat, but CSPI
says Trans Fat can make them twice as deadly.
Dr. Walter Willett, who
studies nutrition and heart disease from his post at
the Harvard School of Public Health, raised
the alarm about Trans Fat two years ago, and has recently
referred to it as a secret killer.
But not all scientists agree. Several groups, including
the American Dietetic Association and the American Society
for Clinical Nutrition, say that years of research have
been inconclusive. They claim there is no reason to be
alarmed about trans fats.
Jeff Prince of the National Restaurant Association pointed
to the lack of scientific consensus when confronted by
CSPI's call for changes in how fried foods are prepared.
He said that his group does not plan to alter how it cooks
until there is scientific agreement on the effects of trans
fats.
Margo Wootan of CSPI, however, says there is no time to
lose.
"I don't want ten years from now to say to consumers,
'We've known for twenty years that Trans Fat causes heart
disease in this country, but we didn't want to tell you,'" Wootan
said.
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