Private MD News

Deceptive trans fat labeling may contribute to unhealthy cholesterol levels

Category: Heart Health and Cholesterol

Deceptive trans fat labeling may contribute to unhealthy cholesterol levels

Increased reliance on trans fat by food manufacturers in recent years has contributed to a growing number of individuals who have received unhealthy cholesterol test results. Now, experts are leading a push to force these companies to be more transparent about their use of the harmful substance.

The American Journal of Health Promotion recently published a paper from Case Western Reserve researchers which said that, despite FDA-approved labels stating that a product is trans fat-free, food can often contain dangerously high levels of the fat.

Current regulations call for food manufacturers to list quantities of fat greater than five grams in one gram increments, quantities less than five grams in 0.5 gram increments, while products containing less than 0.5 grams can be listed as fat-free.

However, studies have shown that as little as two grams of daily trans fat intake can increase a person's heart disease risk by up to 30 percent. Eating a small number of servings of food listed as trans fat-free could easily contain this much.

The research team said in their paper that the FDA should revise its food labeling regulations to reflect this danger.