Trans Fat on the Food Label
On July 11, 2003, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) published
a final rule requiring manufacturers to list trans fatty acids or trans
fat on the Nutrition Facts panel of conventional foods and some dietary
supplements. The amount of trans fat per serving of food will appear
under the Total Fat section of the label. It will be measured in grams.
Why is this information important, you ask? Well, like saturated fat,
trans fat raises the LDL cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol)
in your blood. An elevated LDL cholesterol level will increase your
risk of developing coronary heart disease (CHD). If you already have
CHD, you should avoid trans fat as much as possible.
Most trans fat in foods we eat are man made. It is difficult to explain
in laymen’s terms, but basically trans fats are increased when
a mechanical process converts liquid polyunsaturated oil to a semi-solid
shortening. Adding hydrogen does this – thus the term hydrogenation.
If you check ingredient lists on cookies, cakes, crackers and some
ready-to-eat breakfast cereals you may see this phrase “vegetable
shortening – contains partially hydrogenated vegetable oil”.
That’s the trans fat. Trans fat is also in anything fried in shortening,
such as the fries and other food items at fast food restaurants. A very,
very small amount of trans fat occurs naturally in foods.
The food industry uses partially hydrogenated vegetable oil because
it has a longer shelf life than liquid oil. Packaged foods stay fresher
longer because the fat does not become rancid as quickly. According
to the FDA, the average American eats 5 grams of trans fat per day.
Remember, nutrition is not an exact science. It is an evolving and
ever changing science. The human body is extremely complicated. And,
as researchers learn more about the food we eat and the effect it may
have on our health, old theories and practices will continue to change.
The new information may have an impact on how you select margarine and
other products.
Total Fat – all types of fats from both animal and plants sources.
Calorie – a unit of measure. Calories measure the energy available
in energy-containing nutrients, i.e., proteins, carbohydrates and fats.
Saturated Fat – fats that hold their shape at room temperature
(about 70 degrees F). Some examples are butter, stick margarine, bacon
drippings, beef fat, palm oil, shortening, etc. This type of fat will
not melt into a liquid that pours without being heated. Fats and oils
are either saturated or unsaturated – generally a combination
of saturated and unsaturated. Saturated fat raises LDL cholesterol too.
Unsaturated Fat – these fats are liquid. They can be monounsaturated
or polyunsaturated. Olive oil is an example of an unsaturated fat, which
is high in monounsaturates. Fats that are primarily unsaturated are
liquid at room temperature.
Trans Fat – the official name is “Trans Fatty Acids”
but most people just say trans fat. Trans fats are made during hydrogenation
of vegetable oils. When hydrogen is mechanically added, liquid oils
solidify. Trans fat raises LDL cholesterol.
| 1 Tablespoon |
Calories |
Total Fat |
*Sat/Unsat |
Trans Fat |
Cholesterol |
| Butter |
102 |
10.8 grams |
7/4 grams |
0.3 grams |
31 grams |
Margarine (stick) |
101 |
11.4 grams |
2/9 grams |
2.4 grams |
0 grams |
Margarine (soft tub) |
60 |
5.6 grams |
1/5 grams |
0.6 grams |
0 grams |
*Saturated/Unsaturated
This does not mean butter is better than margarine because of the trans
fat. Although some margarine contains more trans fat than butter, the
total trans plus saturated fat (the LDL cholesterol raising fat) is
always less than the total for butter. The best choice is moderate amounts
of soft tub margarine.
For more information on the Nutrition Facts Panel and Trans Fat, visit
the FDA website at http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/gatrans.html
or to view the new Nutrition Facts Label at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/labtr.html.
Local Greenline subscribers who cannot access the web site may request
a copy of the Trans Fat Factsheet by calling the Extension office at
773-233-0476 and ask for Gladys.
Source: Food & Drug Administration Center for Food Safety &
Applied Nutrition, Office of Food Labeling
Summer
2003
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