FDA finally rules that hydrogenated trans-fatty acids are not safe

It has taken a little over a century, but the USA FDA has finally decided that trans-fatty acids are not safe:

November 07, 2013

U.S. regulators have moved toward eliminating artificial “trans” fats that are linked to heart disease from the nation’s food supply. The Food and Drug Administration has proposed prohibiting their use in food after a period allowing manufacturers to find alternatives.

Trans fats are mainly found in processed foods like margarine, frozen pizzas, and some desserts. Health authorities say they are responsible for 7,000 deaths and 20,000 heart attacks each year in the United States.

Consumer groups are applauding the announcement as a major step to protect public health.

The proposal will go through a 60-day comment period before being finalized.

Partially hydrogenated oils are the main source of trans fats, though small amounts are found naturally in some meat and dairy products.

The U.S. Institute of Medicine has concluded that there is no safe level of consumption. http://www.voanews.com/content/us-proposes-eliminating-trans-fats/1785886.html

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday ruled for the first time that trans fats aren’t generally considered safe in foods, a sharp shift in policy that could lead to a ban on a substance blamed for contributing to heart attacks and strokes…

“While consumption of potentially harmful artificial trans fat has declined over the last two decades in the United States, current intake remains a significant public-health concern,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg. She said further reductions in trans fats could prevent an additional 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths a year in the U.S.

Trans fats, also called partially hydrogenated fats or oils, are created when food-ingredient makers add hydrogen to vegetable oil to make it solid. The process, first used a century ago, extends the shelf life of certain food products, helping baked goods retain their flakiness and fried foods their crispiness. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303309504579183652200663132

Probably, the first commercial hydrogenated trans-fatty acid product was Crisco shortening, which was introduced in 1911. The scientist who developed the first partially hydrogenated fats, Paul Sabatier, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry jointly with fellow Frenchman Victor Grignard in 1912.

I have long had concerns about these hydrogenated fat products. That is one of the reasons that I have always believed that butter was better for one’s health than margarine (although I should add that there are less trans-fatty acids in many margarine now than there used to be).

So, a century of human experimentation with human-engineered fats is leading the US FDA to consider a ban. Of course, trans-fatty acids were dangerous 100 years ago, but still considered sufficiently safe by presumed experts.

I feel that genetically-modified foods pose at least as big a threat to health that hydrogenated trans-fatty acid foods ever have. Yet, I do not believe that the US FDA is considering declaring any of them unsafe in the near future. It will probably take a lot of deaths and/or crop failures for that to happen.

The Bible itself warns about eating things that are not really food:

2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good (Isaiah 55:2).

Refined processed “breads,” artificial sweeteners, chemical additives, and some other items commonly associated with junk foods and hydrogenated fats would seem to be consistent with that warning.

People should try to eat real, not artificial, foods.

Some prophetic articles of possibly related interest may include:

Obesity, processed foods, and the Bible Does the Bible warn about the consequences of being obese? Is overeating dangerous? Is gluttony condemned?
Eating Right, Eating Too Much, and Prophecy Are there disadvantages to being overweight? Is junk food really bad for you? Does the Bible discuss overeating and/or obesity? Is overeating having an effect on the US military? What are the ramifications of personal and national health for overeating? What should you eat? This is a sermonette-length YouTubevideo.
GMOs and Bible Prophecy What are GMOs? Since they were not in the food supply until 1994, how could they possibly relate to Bible prophecy? Do GMOs put the USA and others at risk? Here is a related YouTube video GMO Risks and the Bible.
Ten Simple Rules that Lead to Health Herbert Armstrong gives his opinions on this.
Does God Heal Today? What does the Bible teach? Herbert Armstrong tries to explain this.
UK Study Supports Daniel Diet Daniel and his companions looked better eating more vegetables and avoiding strange meats. Has modern science confirmed this?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?