Scientific evidence shows that consumption of trans fat raises low-density lipoprotein ("bad") cholesterol levels that increase the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, over 12.5 million Americans suffer from CHD, and more than 500,000 die each year. This makes CHD one of the leading causes of death in the United States today.
- Food and Drug Administration
The Mayo Clinic calls trans fat the “worst” of all the fats because it “both raises your ‘bad’ (LDL) cholesterol and lowers your ‘good’ (HDL) cholesterol,” creating a scenario that “significantly increases your
risk of heart disease, the leading killer of men and women.”
“It’s no secret that trans-fat is a killer. Denmark, the state of
California and cities such as New York and Philadelphia have
effectively banned restaurants from using oils and spreads
containing the substance... Still, tens of thousands of people
die in the United States every year from cardiac-related disease
linked to the consumption of trans-fat, according to the New England
Journal of Medicine. And trans-fat in the form of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils can be found in most processed foods, including cookies, baked goods, popcorn, shortenings, crackers, doughnuts and chips.” (University of Missouri Weekly)
Results of trans fat studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine report that “On a per-calorie basis, trans fats appear to increase the risk of CHD [coronary heart disease] more than any other macronutrient, conferring a substantially increased risk at low levels of consumption.”
The National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine, which advises the government on health policy, said that trans fat “should not be consumed at all” (CBS News).
