In the United States, a recent recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlighted the importance of removing trans fats from food products. However, in a new study that they have conducted, it was discovered that there is still nearly 1 in 10 processed food items in the country that contain trans fat. This, they say, is disappointing enough, but the real hot warm it is that consumers would not be aware of this because nutritional labels on the food packaging does not indicate this fact.
Trans fat is derived from a manufacturing process where hydrogen is incorporated into oil to make it solid. The resulting products have been linked to numerous health problems including, most significantly, increase saying cholesterol levels in consumers. Researchers have found that the ingestion of even relatively smaller portions of trans fat can already influence the elevation of bad cholesterol levels and reduce good cholesterol in the body.
Prior to this report, the consumption of trans fat in the United States decreased significantly following the first major warnings from health authorities about ten years ago. Additionally, several regional and state bans have been put in place to remove trans fat from products sold in bakeries and restaurants. However, recent discoveries show that there is still an extensive trans fat presence in the food supply in the United States.
Based on a study conducted on that nutritional data for over 4,000 food products, it was found that over 9% listed "partially hydrogenated oils" as one of their ingredients-this substance is the major source of manufactured trans fat in food-but most of the manufacturers are still claiming that they have "0 g of trans fat per serving" on their labels. Doctors say that misleading labels such as these are dangerous to unassuming consumers.
