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Doctors urge government to ban man-made fat

Posted: 18/01/2010 at 08:30pm by Rich Leigh, founder of Fat Free Fitness

A group of more than 3000 doctors and health specialists in the UK are urging the Government to ban the production of artificial trans-fats, which are used to increase a food’s shelf life, in a bid to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

What is trans-fat?

Trans-fat is essentially chemically altered vegetable oil. These oils are ‘hydrogenated’ in order to turn the liquid into solid fat – and it features in more of your weekly food choices than you may realise.

Trans-fats are used because they are cheap, add bulk to products, have a neutral flavour and give products a longer shelf life, and the worst part? In the UK at present, there is no specific requirement for food labels to even tell you that it contains trans-fat. The way to tell is to avoid products that list hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated or shortenings on the label.

What foods should I avoid?

Fast food, frozen pies, doughnuts, sweets, biscuits and ready meals are all regularly made with trans-fat.

The World Health Organisation also believes artificial trans-fats, which have already been banned in Denmark, New York, California, Switzerland and Austria, are harmful to health and is calling for further restrictions on their use.

What did they say?

Prof Alan Maryon-Davis, the group behind the call to politicians, The UK Faculty of Public Health president, said: "Trans-fats are much less well-known than saturated fats but are much more damaging. They are very bad for the heart, play a key role in the UK's very high levels of heart disease and contribute to a large number of the excess coronary deaths we have in this country."

"Foods can be made perfectly well without trans fats. The government should move to ban them as soon as possible because eliminating them completely would help save many lives."

Prof Steve Field, chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said: "The evidence is indisputable that trans-fats raise your risk of having heart disease and so they can ultimately kill you."

Further fat reading!

For a comprehensive guide of why you need to get fat in order to lose weight, please read this fantastic article on good fats and bad fats here by Melissa Wall (opens in another tab).


Fast food is packed with trans-fat

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