Good News

Harvard School of Public Health’s (conservative) estimate of 30,000 annual American deaths from eating trans fats makes industry’s addition of these silent killers to our foods an atrocity, and while far less violent and dramatic than the terrorism in the news, a thousand times more deadly.

A Long Fight

It’s been a long fight. Researchers have been expressing concern for several decades. I began talking about the dangers of trans fats in 1980. Some researchers were concerned back in the 1960s. Harvard School of Public Health got involved in 1994. The FDA was sued and fought and resisted for more than a decade. But it looks like the fight’s been won. The White House sent a letter to USDA and HHS (US Dep't of Agriculture & Health and Human Services) to recommend decreasing trans fats in foods because they increase deaths from cardiovascular disease.

The industry has for all of these years fought those who want them to change and be accountable. But the research about the negative health consequences of trans fats is so consistent that finally the change will come. What does that research say?

Research on trans fats

According to Harvard School of Public health, Trans Fatty acids double risk of heart attack, increase diabetes, and kill at least 30,000 Americans every year.

Other research suggests that Trans Fatty acids interfere with vision and learning in children; correlate with increased breast and prostate cancer; increase platelet stickiness and thereby raise risk of stroke and embolism, as well as heart attack. trans fats interfere with the liver’s detoxification function. They impair both male and female reproduction in animals (no human studies have been published). trans fats change the way our immune system functions. And trans fats make essential omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid requirement higher by interfering with the functions of these two essential fatty acids in our body.

About Time to Have a Choice

The FDA ruling that they must be listed on food labels by the year 2006: It’s about time!!

If Trans Fatty acids are not listed on labels, consumers cannot make good choices for their health. Full disclosure of all ingredients and accurate guidelines are required.

Consumers Even Follow Bad Advice

It is clear that consumers are interested in health and are willing to follow guidelines. To their detriment, they followed the recommendations made 20 years ago by government to eat less fat (they should have been told to eat less bad fat and more good fat). They reduced their fat intake from 42% of calories to 32% of calories.

Sources of trans fats

Where are trans fats found?
They are everywhere in processed and convenience foods.

• Trans Fats are present in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, which are found in many margarines and in shortening.
• trans fats are widespread in processed foods, including some granola bars, breakfast cereals, low fat foods, fish sticks, frozen pizza, and other frozen foods.
• trans fats are abundant in many baked goods (baked bad?) such as donuts, crackers, cookies, cakes, bread, and frostings.
• trans fats are present in some puddings, peanut butter, instant soup mixes, and microwave popcorn.
• trans fats are used in some spreads, sauces, dips, and gravy mixes.
• trans fats are part of powdered non-dairy coffee creamers.
• trans fats are used for frying in many fast food restaurants.
• trans fats are present in French fries packaged for home frying.
• Many potato and corn chips are fried in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils containing trans fats.
• trans fats are present even in some cooking oils.

Not all of the above foods contain trans fats, and all of the above foods could be made without them. You have to read labels to find out whether they contain trans fats. The words “partially hydrogenated vegetable (or corn, or soybean, or canola) oil” or the words “vegetable shortening” indicate that trans fats are present.

Doing the Math

To find out how much Trans Fat is present in a food, you have to do some math. If you subtract from the total fat in a product the sum of adding saturated + monounsaturated + polyunsaturated fat the number you get is the amount of Trans Fat in the product.

When trans fats are listed by quantities on the label, consumers’ choices will be a lot simpler. And that’s what full disclosure is about.

Avoiding trans fats Made Simple

If you eat fresh, whole, organic foods—foods the way God and nature made them, you will get no trans fats in most products. Only dairy fat (homogenized milk, whole milk, butter, cream, sour cream, cream cheese, and cheese) and beef, lamb, and goat meat always contain some trans fats.

If non-dairy meat animals are fed bagged foods containing trans fats, these trans fats may end up in the meat, then on our table, and then in our body. This is a good reason for meat eaters to choose ‘free range’ or ‘range fed’ meat and ‘wild catch’ fish.