Louisville’s war on trans fats

February 24, 7:31 AMLouisville City Hall ExaminerThomas McAdam

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Dan Johnson (D. 21st)

Louisville’s battle to ban trans fats is about ready to enter its second stage. Pastry lovers and City Hall watchers will remember back to December, 2007, when Metro councilman Dan Johnson (D. 21st District) introduced a proposed Ordinance which would have banned the use of trans fats in city restaurants.

At the time, Johnson was quoted as saying: "They wouldn't let a restaurant serve rat poison, and I think this is similar to rat poison. It's just a little slower in killing you."

The Louisville Metro Council defeated the ordinance, but gave approval to a resolution calling for more education and public awareness of the health effects of trans fats.

“I believe we have come up with a compromise on this issue, that will not only help the public but local businesses as well,” said Councilman Jim King (D, 10th District). “This proposal will provide education and give local restaurants the time needed to make any adjustment away from trans fats.

“My goal is to protect the public’s health and make sure everyone aware of this as a major concern,” said Johnson. “I am pleased with this compromise.”

Under the compromise proposal, the Metro Public Health and Wellness Department was directed to conduct education programs informing the public about the harmful effects and dangers of consuming products that contain trans fats. The resolution also asked the Department to review this issue for appropriate regulatory action, if any is needed.

Last week, Health Department director, Dr. Adewale Troutman, met with the Metro Council’s Democratic caucus and indicated he would be holding “a few public hearings,” after which he would make a recommendation on whether to ban trans fats in food preparation at restaurants, cafes and bars. "We will make a recommendation on whether a ban should be voluntary or regulatory," Troutman said. "We're already in the process of educating the community."

Councilman Kevin Kramer (R, 11th District) is on record as opposing an outright ban. "Dan's feeling on the issue is that government has a responsibility in protecting the food stream," Kramer said, while others "believe that the government doesn't have any place telling me whether or not I can eat things that are unhealthy."

Councilman Kelly Downard (R, 16th District) has stated that he worries that a ban would harm local businesses. "All the local bakeries will be put out of business, and we'll all be buying doughnuts from Kroger that are made in Michigan," Downard said.

"They're killing us," said Johnson, who is again pushing for a total ban.

Trans fats, which are made by adding hydrogen to vegetable oils, are the flavor-enhancing substances that make many commercially prepared baked goods and fast foods so predictably tasty; but they are condemned by physicians, nutritionists and exercise gurus--everyone, in short, except for cooks and their customers.

But trans fats aren’t so super evil according to some experts. Dr. Elizabeth Whelan of the American Council on Science and Health, observes that trans fats don’t seem dramatically more scary than regular saturated fats and that all those “trans fat free” labels might do more harm than good because all the hype around this issue might make people think said food is “healthy.”

Trans fats, especially those found in partially hydrogenated oils, have been maligned by food police groups and the media as "toxic," "phantom fats." But the facts don't back that up. In fact, trans fats have been a part of the American diet since the early 1900s and they are hardly toxic. They can also occur naturally in food. Trans fats can be found in a variety of foods including milk, beef, lamb, partially hydrogenated oil, vegetable shortening, crackers, cookies, and other processed foods.

While they certainly are not health food, the overstated health claims leveled against trans fats are much more hype than science. University of Pennsylvania professor Dr. David Kritchevsky told The New York Times that trans fats are the "panic du jour."

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, the average amount of trans fats eaten in a typical day has remained the same since the 1960s. Yet during that time, we've gained more than seven years in life expectancy.

Emerging science indicates that trans fats contain a compound called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which has demonstrated beneficial health effects, including fighting cancer, enhancing immunity, and decreasing artery-clogging plaque.

The Food and Drug Administration warns against totally eliminating trans fats from your diet, because they are present in so many foods that provide essential nutrients.

Many people harbor the misconception that trans fats will make them gain more weight than other fats. While they do contain calories, trans fats are typically a very minor contributor to the overall calorie count of foods.

Dr. Elizabeth M. Whelan expresses concern over the rush to ban trans fats: “Each additional attempt to reformulate food or add another label to existing food in response to government mandates or public fears increases food production costs. That contributes to raising the price of food--an economic reality that hits low-income Americans hardest, since they spend a greater portion of their disposable income on food.”

“The government estimates that perhaps 250 to 500 coronary heart disease deaths (out of the total 500,000 that occur annually in the U.S.) will be prevented. But those numbers are purely hypothetical: The real number of lives saved might be zero,” said Dr. Whelan.

Dr. Whelan feels that public health scientists who know the facts should find the media’s out-of-proportion characterization of trans fats as a heart health risk very troubling. “Indeed, these scientists should place a good part of the blame on themselves,” she said.

“While it would be easier to blame the media for serving up a half-baked story on trans fats and health, the reality is that few, if any, knowledgeable scientists who had a grasp of the broader public health issues made an attempt to step forward and challenge the demonization of trans fats.”