|
Pastry and fried food lovers
beware: there is no level of trans fatty acids that is safe to consume,
a report from the Institute of Medicine concluded.
The report is likely to lead
the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to go ahead with stalled plans
to order manufacturers to disclose the trans fatty acid content of foods
on packaging.
An expert panel at the Institute
of Medicine issued a detailed review of research into trans fatty acids,
the class of fat found in abundance in stick margarine, hydrogenated vegetable
shortening and foods that contain them.
Though the panel had the option
to declare a safe upper limit of daily trans fatty acid consumption, it
declined to do so. "It is recommended that trans fatty acid consumption
be as low as possible while consuming a nutritionally adequate diet.
Trans fatty acids are known
to increase blood levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL), so-called "bad"
cholesterol, while lowering levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL),
known as "good" cholesterol. A blood profile containing high
LDL and low HDL is a strong risk factor for heart disease.
Trans fatty acids are common
in foods containing shortening, including pastries and fried foods, and
are found in lower levels in dairy products and meats.
FDA proposed ordering the labeling
of trans fatty acid levels on food packages in 1999 but held off finalizing
the regulation until the Institute of Medicine issued its report. The
agency is likely to go ahead with a rule ordering the labeling, according
to press reports.
In 1994, the Center for Science
in the Public Interest (CSPI) petitioned the FDA to require that Nutrition
Facts labels disclose trans fat. In 1999, the Food and Drug Administration
proposed to require trans fat labeling, but delayed finalizing a regulation,
in part, to consider a report from the National Academy of Science's Institute
of Medicine, which was just released.
Center
for Science in the Public Interest July 10, 2002
| 