After a decade of trans fats slowly disappearing from some American food, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will now require that trans fats be gradually phased out of all foods because trans fats threaten people’s health.
Trans fats are the “bad” fats that cause plaque build-up in the arteries and lead to heart disease. They are found in many processed foods, and in oils used for frying in restaurants.
While many companies have already removed trans fats after new nutrition labels were introduced in 2006, the FDA estimates that requiring trans fats not be used will decrease cases of heart disease by 7,000 annually and prevent 20,000 heart attacks per year.