Trans Fat From PHOs Kill Thousands Yearly HSPH calls trans fat“metabolic poison

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Trans Fat From PHOs Kill Thousands Each Year

 

While the government decides whether to ban partially hydrogenated

vegetable oils (PHOs) from the food supply, it should at least

require restaurants that use the trans-fat-laden artificial

ingredient to warn customers of that fact, according to the Center

for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). In a legal petition filed

with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), CSPI said that two-

thirds of Americans surveyed think restaurants should indicate

whether their food contains trans fat.

 

Starting in 2006, the FDA is requiring manufacturers of processed

food to list trans fat on labels. That's spurring many food

processors to reduce or eliminate PHOs. However, restaurants are not

required to provide any nutrition or ingredients information and

thus have less incentive to improve their products.

 

Once considered safer than saturated fats, trans fats have now been

shown to be far worse. Leading trans-fat researcher Walter Willett,

professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of

Public Health, calls trans fat a " metabolic poison, " because it

raises LDL, the " bad " cholesterol, and lowers HDL, the " good "

cholesterol. The Institute of Medicine recommended that people

minimize their consumption of trans fat in order to reduce their

risk of heart disease. Although small amounts of trans fat occur

naturally in beef and dairy foods, most trans fat comes from PHOs.

 

" Deep-fried restaurant food is one of the biggest sources of trans

fat in our diets and a major contributor to heart disease, " said

CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson. " The truth is that

while deep-fried foods will always be high in calories, they do not

necessarily have to be bad for your heart. All restaurants should

fry in liquid, non-hydrogenated vegetable oil like canola or soy. If

they did, fried-foods would become healthier overnight. But as long

as they continue to use such a dangerous artificial frying oil, they

should inform their patrons. "

 

McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, KFC, and virtually all burger and

fried-chicken chains fry in partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. In

2002, McDonald's promised to switch to a healthier, lower-trans oil,

but reneged on that promise in 2003. (McDonald's is being sued in

California for breaking that promise.) Applebee's, Chili's, Denny's,

Red Lobster, and most table-service chain restaurants that deep fry

do so in PHO. Two chain restaurants, Ruby Tuesday and Legal Sea

Foods have switched to trans-free oil.

 

In May, CSPI petitioned the FDA to ban PHOs altogether, and launched

www.TransFreeAmerica.org. Based on FDA data, CSPI estimated that

11,000 to 30,000 lives, perhaps many more, would be saved each year

if PHO were replaced with more healthful products.

 

CSPI's new petition asks the FDA to require restaurants that use PHO

to place notices either on menus or on signs. FDA has authority to

do that if it believes food is " misbranded, " which under the law can

mean that the labeling fails to reveal material facts about the

food. CSPI says that the presence of PHO should clearly be

considered " material, " given the agency's acknowledgment that PHO

raises the risk of heart disease.

 

" Restaurants that continue to use this heart-attack-inducing

ingredient should tell their customers about it just to avoid

lawsuits, if for no other reason, " Jacobson said. " Partially

hydrogenated oils may be a bit cheaper for restaurants, but a big

verdict or two could encourage the big chains to check their math.

Until the FDA bans PHO, it should at least make sure Americans know

what they're eating. "

 

CSPI maintains a list of foods that do and do not have partially

hydrogenated oils at www.TransFreeAmerica.org. That list represents

only the tip of a big iceberg, since many thousands of food products

contain PHO.