The heart-killer that’s been hiding in every supermarket in the U.S. for 40 years

Guess what? The World Health Organization (WHO) has a plan to put an end to trans-fat production in the next five years — preventing half a million heart disease deaths annually, as a result.

What’s that? You’re feeling a bit of déjà vu? Well, you’re not alone. Because we’ve definitely had this conversation before. More than once, in fact.

But Big Food will always find a way to postpone taking necessary action where public health is concerned. Which, to my mind, makes them accessories to mass murder.

The numbers don’t lie

If you think I’m being hyperbolic, consider the fact that trans-fats increase the risk of heart disease by 21 percent — and the number of heart-related deaths by 28 percent. These aren’t small numbers, by any stretch of the imagination.

And guess how long we’ve known about them? Not a week… or a month… or even a year. It’s been closer to 40 years since we caught wind of the fact that trans-fats kill.

And yet “food” manufacturers are still using them to give their products a longer shelf life.

The way I see it, many millions of heart disease deaths could have been prevented in that time — but weren’t. All because the people in charge were happy to sit idly by and accept industry lobbying dollars… becoming part of the problem, instead of the solution.

The slow march of change

A handful of countries have made some strides in limiting the amount of trans-fats allowed in packaged and processed foods. (Note the word “limit” — despite the fact they could have just as easily banned them entirely.) There are also a number of bans on partially hydrogenated oils — which are the main source of trans-fats.

The U.S. is one of those countries. Back in 2015, the FDA declared trans-fats unsafe for use in human food and gave manufacturers three years to remove them from their products. That brings us to this year…So our food supply SHOULD be safe now, right?

Unfortunately, there are plenty of loopholes in the FDA’s mandate. Including the fact that foods are allowed to be labeled as having “0” grams of trans-fat if they contain less than 0.5 grams of trans-fat per serving.

Trans fats are lethal and toxic and there’s no reason why they should be anywhere in our food supply. Yet, thanks to the FDA’s corporate-friendly policies disguised as public health mandates, they’re still being packed in children’s lunch boxes on a daily basis.

Packaged snack cakes, potato chips, and other sneaky trans-fat-laden “Frankenfoods” are so dangerous, you might as well be giving your kid a pack of cigarettes.

Death comes in many forms. And there’s no question that trans fats are among the most villainous vehicles in our food supply. (Along with — you guessed it — sugar.)

Yet… 40 years, and we’re still only in the planning stages of eliminating them?

There’s blood on everybody’s hands here. Call me skeptical, but the WHO’s talk is cheap. I’ll believe it when I see some meaningful action for a change.

P.S. If you’d like to kick trans-fats to the curb, and find out just how delicious it can be to eat truly nutritious foods, check out my A-List Diet Book. Click here to learn more, or order today.

 

Source:

reuters.com/article/us-health-fats/who-calls-for-trans-fats-to-be-eliminated-within-five-years-idUSKCN1IF1B8