The Long Goodbye: FDA decision to eliminate the US trans fats from food

Partially hydrogenated oils, once a food industry workhorse, reached a formal food supply pull-ho in the United States.

In a highly anticipated decision, the FDA ruled yesterday that partially hydrogenated oils, which are the main source of harmful trans fats are not "generally recognized as safe." This means that any food company wishing to use partially hydrogenated oils must obtain the FDA approval to do so. Companies have until 2018 to stop the use of partially hydrogenated oils or application to the FDA for approval.

The move is a good one for individual and public health. Trans fats have been a favorite of the food industry because they increase the service life of oils and liquid margarine to make it easier to spread. But these benefits come at a very high cost. Trans fats increase the amount of low density lipoprotein ("bad") cholesterol in the blood and reduce the amount of high density lipoprotein ("good") cholesterol. They make the blood more likely to clot within the blood vessels in the heart, brain and other parts, and also increase inflammation, which plays an important role in the development of heart disease, diabetes and other great causes death and disability.

"This double whammy, triple, quadruple or even trans fat should result in higher rates of heart disease," Dr. Walter C. Willett, professor of nutrition at Harvard University TH Chan school of public health and I write you eat, drink, and be healthy.. The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating And he does it in a review article published there almost 10 years in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Willett and his colleagues believe that the elimination of trans fats from the US food supply would prevent attacks between 72,000 and 228,000 heart each year.

The FDA eventually agrees. Blog FDAVoice Susan Mayne, director of FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, wrote that "it became clear that what is good for extending lifespan is not as good for expansion of human life. " 

The Long Goodbye
 Artificial trans fats are developed in early 1900 by Wilhelm Normann, a German chemist. It has patented a process using gaseous hydrogen to convert solids liquid vegetable oils. This process, called hydrogenation, protected from becoming rancid oil. He added trans fats.

Procter and Gamble released Crisco, the first partially hydrogenated lard, soft margarines followed in 1911. Over the years, the food industry has found hundreds of uses for partially hydrogenated oils, biscuits and cakes prepared cream powder and oils used for frying in fast food restaurants.

Trans fats have been called "stealth fat" because few Americans knew they were in the food supply. Food companies are not required to list them on food labels, and are not presented as the "trans fatty acids" in the lists of ingredients. The only way for a buyer would have had a food contains trans fat was to detect the expression "partially hydrogenated oil" in the ingredient list.

Aware of the potential health hazards of trans fatty acids, the Center for Science in the Public Interest petitioned the FDA in 1994 to require that trans fats are listed on food labels. It took 12 years for that to happen.

In 2004, Fred Kummerow A. filed a citizen petition with the FDA to remove partially hydrogenated oils on the list of foods classified as "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS). As described in the New York Times, Kummerow, now professor emeritus of food science and human nutrition at the University of Illinois, he led a long battle against trans fats. It took nine years, but the FDA finally announced a GRAS partially hydrogenated in 2013 making preliminary strike oil determination Yesterday was the end.

The measure will certainly help to reduce the amount of trans fats in the American diet. However, many food manufacturers, to see the writing on the wall, and were working to find trans fat from partially hydrogenated free alternative oils. Chains such as Starbucks ended with trans fats in 2007 and others followed suit. Walmart is requiring suppliers to offer trans-free later this year of products.

Note that 2018 is three years away. So it makes sense to maintain the current food labels for trans fats. Your heart will thank you.