AMA Supports Trans Fat Bans Across America
On Monday, the American Medical Association threw its weight behind legislation to ban artificial trans fats in restaurants and bakeries.
The group said it would move away from a previous gentler position that advised people to reduce their use and move to healthier fats and oils instead.
"Trans fats have been proven to raise LDL (low density lipoprotein), the bad cholesterol, while lowering HDL (high density lipoprotein), the good cholesterol, which significantly increases the risk for heart disease," said AMA board member Dr. Mary Anne McCaffree.
"By supporting a ban on the use of artificial trans fats in restaurants and bakeries, we can help improve the quality of the food Americans eat and may ultimately save lives."
Replacing trans fats would prevent up to 100,000 premature deaths each year in the United States, the group said in a meeting in Orlando, Florida.Â
New York City and California banned trans fats in July.
Trans fats are formed by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil through a process called hydrogenation. It makes liquid oil more like butter, but in the process makes it just as dangerous to arteries as butter.
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