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Trans-fats Should Be Avoided....
A type of fat commonly found in processed foods -- so-called trans-fatty acids -- appears to be linked to heart disease and therefore consumers should eat as little of it as possible, a panel of nutrition experts convened by the National Academy of Sciences announced Wednesday.
The panel based its announcement on a report commissioned by the Food and Drug Administration, which is considering whether to require manufacturers to include trans-fatty acid levels on food labels. The bulk of trans-fats come from hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils, which is a method of modifying an oil that is liquid at room temperature to become a solid or shortening.
Trans-fatty acids, which the panel said have been shown to increase total cholesterol and LDL or "bad" cholesterol, and hence increase the risk of heart disease, are used in the preparation of fried foods, baked goods, cereals, margarine and other products.
"The recommendation is to consume as low levels of trans-fatty acids as possible," Alice H. Lichtenstein, a member of the panel that wrote the report and professor nutrition at Tufts University in Boston, told United Press International.
The ideal situation would be to consume no trans-fatty acids, Lichtenstein said, but "it's just not practical because trans-fatty acids are abundant in the food supply and occur naturally in milk and meat." The panel concluded in the report that avoiding all trans-fats would require "extraordinary changes in patterns of dietary intake," which may result in "unknown and unquantifiable health risks." Instead, the report recommended "that trans-fatty acid consumption be as low as possible while consuming a nutritionally adequate diet."
Robert H. Eckel, chair of the American Heart Association's nutrition, physical activity and metabolism council, who was not involved in the preparation of the report, agreed that trans-fats should be avoided.
"They're hard and firm and they probably have adverse effects on HDL (or "good") and LDL cholesterol and these create additional risk for heart disease," said Eckel, who also is professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Boulder. In this respect, trans-fats have the same negative health consequences as saturated fats, which are found in foods containing animal fats, he told UPI.
"The best advice that I think can be given to people ... is to restrict their intake of both saturated and trans-fatty acids," Lichtenstein said, noting consumers should not ignore one over the other.
Eckel said the amount of trans-fats occurring naturally in foods such as meat and milk is negligible. The real concern is hydrogenated oils, he said.
Lichtenstein recommended consumers "use oil in its natural state and choose products that use liquid oil and not partially hydrogenated oil for preparation." This information is usually contained in the ingredients section of labeling.
People whose diet is high in fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy products, lean meat, and who exercise regularly are "probably doing as much as they possibly can for themselves," she added.
Christine Lewis Taylor, director of the FDA's office of nutritional products, labeling and dietary supplements, told UPI the agency will "probably ... make it mandatory that trans-fat content be declared" on food labeling. The final rule requiring this will likely come out in the next six months to seven months, she said.
United Press International
By STEVE MITCHELL, UPI Medical Correspondent
A type of fat commonly found in processed foods -- so-called trans-fatty acids -- appears to be linked to heart disease and therefore consumers should eat as little of it as possible, a panel of nutrition experts convened by the National Academy of Sciences announced Wednesday.
The panel based its announcement on a report commissioned by the Food and Drug Administration, which is considering whether to require manufacturers to include trans-fatty acid levels on food labels. The bulk of trans-fats come from hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils, which is a method of modifying an oil that is liquid at room temperature to become a solid or shortening.
Trans-fatty acids, which the panel said have been shown to increase total cholesterol and LDL or "bad" cholesterol, and hence increase the risk of heart disease, are used in the preparation of fried foods, baked goods, cereals, margarine and other products.
"The recommendation is to consume as low levels of trans-fatty acids as possible," Alice H. Lichtenstein, a member of the panel that wrote the report and professor nutrition at Tufts University in Boston, told United Press International.
The ideal situation would be to consume no trans-fatty acids, Lichtenstein said, but "it's just not practical because trans-fatty acids are abundant in the food supply and occur naturally in milk and meat." The panel concluded in the report that avoiding all trans-fats would require "extraordinary changes in patterns of dietary intake," which may result in "unknown and unquantifiable health risks." Instead, the report recommended "that trans-fatty acid consumption be as low as possible while consuming a nutritionally adequate diet."
Robert H. Eckel, chair of the American Heart Association's nutrition, physical activity and metabolism council, who was not involved in the preparation of the report, agreed that trans-fats should be avoided.
"They're hard and firm and they probably have adverse effects on HDL (or "good") and LDL cholesterol and these create additional risk for heart disease," said Eckel, who also is professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Boulder. In this respect, trans-fats have the same negative health consequences as saturated fats, which are found in foods containing animal fats, he told UPI.
"The best advice that I think can be given to people ... is to restrict their intake of both saturated and trans-fatty acids," Lichtenstein said, noting consumers should not ignore one over the other.
Eckel said the amount of trans-fats occurring naturally in foods such as meat and milk is negligible. The real concern is hydrogenated oils, he said.
Lichtenstein recommended consumers "use oil in its natural state and choose products that use liquid oil and not partially hydrogenated oil for preparation." This information is usually contained in the ingredients section of labeling.
People whose diet is high in fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy products, lean meat, and who exercise regularly are "probably doing as much as they possibly can for themselves," she added.
Christine Lewis Taylor, director of the FDA's office of nutritional products, labeling and dietary supplements, told UPI the agency will "probably ... make it mandatory that trans-fat content be declared" on food labeling. The final rule requiring this will likely come out in the next six months to seven months, she said.
United Press International
By STEVE MITCHELL, UPI Medical Correspondent
