Watch out for Trans Fats

Sept 27 (Reuters) - New York City's Health Department has proposed a near ban on the use of artificial trans fats at restaurants after the failure of a year-long city campaign to educate restaurants on the effects of such fats and encourage them to stop their use.

Here are some facts about trans fats:

- Trans fat is a type of fat which is found in some margarines, fast foods, biscuits, cakes and pastry. It increases the shelf life of foods.

- But it also raises low density lipoprotein (LDL), or bad cholesterol, in the blood and cuts the amount of high density lipoprotein (HDL), or good cholesterol, increasing the risk of coronary heart disease.

- Unlike other fats, the majority of trans fat is produced when liquid oils are made into solid fats such as shortening and hard margarine in a process called hydrogenation or hydrogenization.

- Although some trans fatty acids occur naturally in dairy and meat products, about 80 percent of dietary trans fat in the American diet comes from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

- In 2003, Denmark became the first country in the world to strictly regulate the use of trans fats, banning all but tiny amounts in food products.

- Starting Jan. 1, 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration made it mandatory that all food products list the amount of trans fat content. It estimates that by 2009 labeling will have prevented 600 to 1,200 cases of coronary heart disease and 250 to 500 deaths per year.

Source Reuters