FDA to Ban Artery-Clogging Trans Fats

[cajuncocoa]

Heart-clogging trans fats have been slowly disappearing from grocery aisles and restaurant menus in the last decade. Now, the Food and Drug Administration is finishing the job.


The FDA planned to announce Thursday it will require the food industry to gradually phase out all trans fats, saying they are a threat to people's health. Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said the move could prevent 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths each year.


Hamburg said that while the amount of trans fats in the country's diet has declined dramatically in the last decade, they "remain an area of significant public health concern." The trans fats have long been criticized by nutritionists, and New York and other local governments have banned them.


The agency isn't yet setting a timeline for the phase-out, but it will collect comments for two months before officials determine how long it will take. Different foods may have different timelines, depending how easy it is to find a substitute.


"We want to do it in a way that doesn't unduly disrupt markets," says Michael Taylor, FDA's deputy commissioner for foods. Still, he says, the food "industry has demonstrated that it is by and large feasible to do."


To phase them out, the FDA said it had made a preliminary determination that trans fats no longer fall in the agency's "generally recognized as safe" category, which is reserved for thousands of additives that manufacturers can add to foods without FDA review. Once trans fats are off the list, anyone who wants to use them would have to petition the agency for a regulation allowing it, and that would be unlikely to be approved.


Trans fats are widely considered the worst kind for your heart, even worse than saturated fats, which can also contribute to heart disease. Trans fats are used both in processed food and in restaurants, often to improve the texture, shelf life or flavor of foods. They are created when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil to make it more solid, which is why they are often called partially hydrogenated oils.


Scientists say there are no health benefits to trans fats and say they can raise levels of so-called "bad" cholesterol, increasing the risk of heart disease — the leading cause of death in the United States.


Many companies have already phased out trans fats, prompted by new nutrition labels introduced by FDA in 2006 that list trans fats and an by an increasing number of local laws that have banned them.


Though they have been removed from many items, the fats are still found in processed foods, including in some microwave popcorns and frozen pizzas, refrigerated doughs, cookies and ready-to-use frostings. They are also sometimes used by restaurants that use the fats for frying. Many larger chains have phased them out, but smaller restaurants may still get food containing trans fats from suppliers.


As a result of the local and federal efforts, consumers have slowly eaten fewer of the fats. According to the FDA, trans fat intake among American consumers declined from 4.6 grams per day in 2003 to around one gram per day in 2012.


FDA officials say they have been working on trans fat issues for around 15 years — the first goal was to label them — and have been collecting data to justify a possible phase-out since just after President Barack Obama came into office in 2009.


The advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest first petitioned FDA to ban trans fats nine years ago. The group's director, Michael Jacobson, says the move is "one of the most important lifesaving actions the FDA could take."


He says the agency should try to move quickly as it determines a timeline.


"Six months or a year should be more than enough time, especially considering that companies have had a decade to figure out what to do," Jacobson said.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/fda-ban-artery-clogging-trans-fats-20814618

 

[angelatc]

Mayor Bloomberg must feel pretty darn vindicated about this. To think we mocked him when he banned them in NYC.

 

[Christian Liberty]

They may be artery-clogging, but I don't see how this is their business.

 

[RickyJ]

This is great news, only it should have been done decades ago! I assume they are only going to ban synthetic trans fats, since natural trans fats have been shown to be good for you. Anything with partially hydrogenated oil in it is synthetic trans fats.

 

[specsaregood]

This is great news, only it should have been done decades ago! I assume they are only going to ban synthetic trans fats, since natural trans fats have been shown to be good for you. Anything with partially hydrogenated oil in it is synthetic trans fats.

It is horrible news. aren't these the same folks that were telling everybody to replace butter with transfats just a couple decades ago? If they can ban transfats, then they can ban butter or whatever else they deem unsafe. screw that.

 

[dannno]

Like South Park once said, they are doing the wrong thing for the right reason.

I don't see why they need to do it since it is being phased out naturally anyway..

But the point does stand that they were literally PROMOTING this stuff as a healthy alternative to butter for decades, up until almost a decade ago..

 

[donnay]

I am always glad to see people becoming aware of unhealthy fats but I am always suspicious of government laying down the laws and continue to allow other unhealthy processes to be allowed in foods.

 

[moostraks]

This is great news, only it should have been done decades ago! I assume they are only going to ban synthetic trans fats, since natural trans fats have been shown to be good for you. Anything with partially hydrogenated oil in it is synthetic trans fats.

Since vegetables are healthier than meat then they should ban restaurants from selling meat. Oh and dairy. That is bad too. So no dairy. We are all responsible for the higher costs due to universal health care. So we as a nation well really not we but some alphabet agency will tell you what you may buy in the marketplace. Eat your gmo veggies and thank the government for protecting you.

Sorry but not seeing this as great considering it is just a start for the new and improved future ahead of us.

 

[specsaregood]

But the point does stand that they were literally PROMOTING this stuff as a healthy alternative to butter for decades, up until almost a decade ago..

Exactly, if they are gonna ban this; then I can only assume that butter and saturated fats next. What right do they have to ban any of it?

 

[angelatc]

Like South Park once said, they are doing the wrong thing for the right reason.

I don't see why they need to do it since it is being phased out naturally anyway.. .

***This!***** Contrary to Little Ricky's anti-liberty position, we don't need a government that takes away our rights to anything.

 

[moostraks]

I am always glad to see people becoming aware of unhealthy fats but I am always suspicious of government laying down the laws and continue to allow other unhealthy processes to be allowed in foods.

I think what miffs me is the mindset that comes with the govt doing this. They will see they got an inch so they will lobby for the mile.

 

[angelatc]

Since vegetables are healthier than meat then they should ban restaurants from selling meat. Oh and dairy. That is bad too. So no dairy. We are all responsible for the higher costs due to universal health care. So we as a nation well really not we but some alphabet agency will tell you what you may buy in the marketplace. Eat your gmo veggies and thank the government for protecting you.

Sorry but not seeing this as great considering it is just a start for the new and improved future ahead of us.

The Paleo preachers will be along to explain that it's really wheat that should be banned.

I'd probably by ok with them banning beets. They're nasty.

 

[July]

It's good people will eat less trans fat. But remember this was a government created problem to begin with, for waging a war on natural animals fats, coconut oil, and Palm. That's what a lot of fast food chains and restaurants used to use until they were pressured into switching to vegetable oils.

 

[RickyJ]

Like South Park once said, they are doing the wrong thing for the right reason.

I don't see why they need to do it since it is being phased out naturally anyway..

But the point does stand that they were literally PROMOTING this stuff as a healthy alternative to butter for decades, up until almost a decade ago..

Yes they were and they should have to answer for that! They have hurt many people by promoting the use of synthetic trans-fats. When they finally do change something they never should have done to start with, at least that much should be seen as a step in the right direction. Anyone thinking this is terrible news doesn't know just how bad synthetic trans-fats are for you or how easily they can be replaced with other preservatives that aren't as bad for you.

 

[Christian Liberty]

Yes they were and they should have to answer for that! They have hurt many people by promoting the use of synthetic trans-fats. When they finally do change something they never should have done to start with, at least that much should be seen as a step in the right direction. Anyone thinking this is terrible news doesn't know just how bad synthetic trans-fats are for you or how easily they can be replaced with other preservatives that aren't as bad for you.

In other words, government knows best. Yeah right.

You are despicable.

 

[RickyJ]

In other words, government knows best. Yeah right.

You are despicable.

I didn't say government knows best! I said they finally made a move they should have made decades ago. Would you want radiation in your food? Do you think it would be OK for the government to ban radiation in your food?

I know you are very young and think everything is black and white, but that is not the way the real world is. Even the government on occasion can do something right, it is rare, but when it happens it should be celebrated.

 

[angelatc]

I didn't say government knows best! I said they finally made a move they should have made decades ago. Would you want radiation in your food? Do you think it would be OK for the government to ban radiation in your food?

I know you are very young and think everything is black and white, but that is not the way the real world is. Even the government on occasion can do something right, it is rare, but when it happens it should be celebrated.

You might as well march down the street wrapping yourself in a flag while carrying a cross if you're celebrating this.

 

[Christian Liberty]

I didn't say government knows best! I said they finally made a move they should have made decades ago. Would you want radiation in your food? Do you think it would be OK for the government to ban radiation in your food?

Well, that would entail fraud if there was radiation in food.

I know you are very young and think everything is black and white, but that is not the way the real world is. Even the government on occasion can do something right, it is rare, but when it happens it should be celebrated.

Sure. But this ain't one of them.

 

[tod evans]

Newz flash..........Government's making more work for itself.

You'll be "safer"...

Government needs more money though..

 

[moostraks]

The Paleo preachers will be along to explain that it's really wheat that should be banned.

I'd probably by ok with them banning beets. They're nasty.

Lol! Agreed on the beets...