Trans Fats Adding Up Danger for Blacks

Summary

---

Since January, a federal regulation has required the labels to disclose how much "trans fat" the food contains, along with the amounts of cholesterol, sodium, sugar, protein and other nutrients. Food makers add hydrogen to ordinary fat to make trans fat, which gives their products a longer shelf life. The process also makes the fat harder, and trans fat is, as a result, harder on your heart and arteries, as bad as ordinary fat is in the first place.

Shoppers may find some foods on grocery shelves without the label, if they were produced before the regulation's effective date on Jan. 1. Look for the words "partially hydrogenated vegetable shortening," "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil," shortening or margarine near the top of the list of ingredients. If those substances are near the top of the list, then the product contains a significant amount of trans fats.

See the full content of this document

Extract

---

Trans Fats Adding Up Danger for Blacks

A new line has appeared on nutritional labels of packaged foods, and paying attention to it could save and extend the lives of African-Americans.

Since Januar...

See the full content of this document

---