Heard this on the news today. I think its old news to low carbers, but its nice to hear that trans fats could be clearly listed on labels in the future




Call to list fat content of food

Staff and agencies
Friday July 28, 2006
Guardian Unlimited


Try finding the trans fats in this biscuit stack.

Food labels should list all types of fats to help reduce rates of heart disease, researchers said today.
Labelling the amount of trans fat, which raises levels of harmful cholesterol, would help consumers cut their risk of developing coronary heart disease, according to Oxford University scientists.

Writing in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), the researchers said trans fats, which are found in margarines, biscuits, cakes and junk food, should be subject to the same nutritional regulations as saturated fats, which also increase the risk of heart disease.

Earlier this year the US Food and Drug Administration ruled that all food manufacturers should show trans fat and cholesterol content on nutrition labels. The UK Food Standards Agency is pressing for trans fat content to be clearly labelled on all processed foods sold in the European Union.

Both saturated fats and trans fats increase the amount of low-density lipoprotein or "bad cholesterol" in the blood and reduce the amount of high-density lipoprotein or "good cholesterol".

The BMJ article noted that recent US research had linked a 2% increase in the energy intake from trans fats to a 23% rise in coronary heart disease rates.

Robert Clarke, honorary consultant in public health at Oxford University, wrote: "Mandatory addition of the content of saturated fat and trans fatty acids to nutrition labels would enable consumers to make healthier food choices that could lower [bad cholesterol] concentrations and reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and other vascular events."

Alex Callaghan, policy officer of the British Heart Foundation, said: "Manufacturers and retailers should clearly label trans fats on food packaging, so that people can make informed decisions about their diet."

They had to start listing trans fats in the USA on January 1, 2006. It's about time. Any product produced before then could be sold until supplies were depleted. I read that the manufacturers with products that were loaded with the poison stepped up production so they had longer to pull the wool over people's eyes.

Sorry, but saturated fat raises HDL.

Absolutley! My HDL increased 50% when I started eating saturated fats again.

Mine went from 34 to 60!

Mine more than doubled. Doc thought it was from the Lipitor I was supposed to be taking....when I told her I wasn't taking the drug, but had increase my saturated fat, she freaked! LOL No, she's no longer my doc (diet, fat, cholesterol was only one issue I had with her.)