While one use of hydrogen is being widely touted as an alternative way to fuel your car, another use of it became illegal in the last week in California—trans fats.
Yes, those pesky trans fats we hear so much about, and probably know annecdotally that they are bad for us, are actually oils pumped with hydrogen to create a more flavorful, longer-lasting oil with which to cook and bake. They’re also called partially hydrogenated oils. Think Crisco. Think margarine and fast food. Think bad. (It’s okay to sigh here, wishing away things that taste good.
The problem with trans fats is that they actually lower levels of “good cholestrol” and increase levels of “bad cholesterol” and thus increase the risk of coronary heart disease. Two years ago the U.S. required they be listed on nutrition labels. They’re different from saturated fats, which come mainly from animals but also some plants (these also cause high cholesterol).
The California way
California is making an all-out assault on unhealthy food. Last Friday the state banned the use of trans fats in all restaurants and, on Wednesday, Los Angeles barred any new fast-food restaurants from opening in South L.A., a low-income area of the city. Poor people are disproportionately overweight.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger—body builder turned actor turned politician—signed the state ban on trans fats, which will take effect in 2010. Interestingly, the Food and Drug Administration says the biggest source of transfats in adults comes from packaged baked sweets—cookies, cakes, pies, etc,. and says the average daily adult intake of trans fats is 5.8 grams.
New York gets in on the action
In May New York City passed a law requiring big chain fast-food restaurants to post calorie counts next to menu items. Most began complying earlier this week. The city banned trans fats at restaurants two years ago.
But obesity rates are still rising
Just recently the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that obesity rates ticked up about 2% from 2005, qualifying a quarter of the U.S. population as obese. Obesity means a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above. (We wrote about the difference between overweight and obese last year.) Mississippi has the highest obesity rate, while Southern states overall rated as the heaviest; Colorado ranks the leanest.
The big picture
While their intent is simply to improve citizens’ health, these laws raise serious questions about just how involved the government should be in policing health habits. Perhaps the fact that U.S. health care costs are expected to double to $4 trillion in just eight years and that over 60% of Americans are overweight or obese, is reason enough to try a more radical approach. And the U.S. is certainly not alone. In Japan, the government is trying to police waistlines to make people qualify for health insurance.
But perhaps one area we need to spend more time addressing is the link between poverty and obesity. Southern states, where more people are overweight, have higher poverty rates. And as food costs soar, some argue that high prices of food will only to add to America’s waistlines.
Read how the May Clinic defines trans fats.
Check your BMI.
The CDC has an amazing graphic that shows the progression of Obesity rates in the United States since 1992. It’s worth looking taking a look.
The American Heart Association breaks down the differences in fats.
Comment: How would you address obesity in the United States?
