The Barack Obama Administration, and particularly First Lady Michelle, has championed a balanced diet and an exercise-filled lifestyle since the very first term, having often said to be looking for an FDA trans fat ban in the midst of the obesity epidemic rampaging the country - and now, the United States is one step closer to this goal.
Last Tuesday, the FDA trans fat ban was issued from the Food and Drugs Administration's website, in an action aimed at reducing coronary heart disease as well as preventing heart attacks, conditions that are heavily associated with highly saturated fatty acids.
"The FDA's action on this major source of artificial trans fat demonstrates the agency's commitment to the heart health of all Americans," said Dr. Stephen Ostroff, the Acting Commissioner in the agency, in the news release involving the trans fat ban. "This action is expected to reduce coronary heart disease and prevent thousands of fatal heart attacks every year."
According to Politico, the FDA trans fat ban deals with a portion of the issue, as it gives the food industry three years altogether to phase out partially hydrogenated oils, ultimately the biggest source of trans fat - it's a major decision, considering there's a wide variety of products that use trans-unsaturated fatty acids, from cake frosting all the way to microwave popcorn.
CNN reports that the decision behind the FDA trans fat ban stems from vast research about its horrible effects for the body, as it has been established that eating a diet rich in these unsaturated fats can lead not only directly to obesity and heart disease, but also to memory loss as well as raising "bad" cholesterol.
Health specialists across the country have applauded the FDA's trans fat ban decision, putting it up as a major victory for public health in the country as the effort towards diminishing the obesity epidemic continues.
