But some say the labels don't go far enough in putting trans fat into the context of a day's diet and should treat it more like saturated fat.
The consumer group Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) had requested the FDA include trans fats in the existing 20-gram daily value for saturated fat as part of a new combined daily value for both heart-disease promoting fats.
"The new labels will let consumers compare trans fat content from product to product, and that will be a
great step forward."
"The new labels will let consumers compare trans fat content from product to product, and that will be a great step forward," says Margo Wootan, CSPI nutrition policy director, in a news release. "It will be hard, though, for people to tell if a given number of grams of trans fat is a lot or a little. Five grams may not seem like a lot, but it is."
A report issued last year by the Institute of Medicine said that because trans fatty acids closely resemble saturated fats and provide no known health benefit, there is no "safe" level of trans fatty acids, and people should eat as little of them as possible in maintaining a healthy diet.
Nutritionist Kathleen Zelman, RD, adds that calorie for calorie, all fats are the same, and the most important thing to understand is that people should try to reduce the total amount of fat in their diet.
"We can safely lump saturated and trans fats into one category," says Zelman, who is a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and a nutrition consultant for the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic.
"But don't lose sight of the fact that you still need to monitor portion sizes and look for low-fat foods, and when choosing between a product high in saturated fat or trans fats versus one that's not, it's always best to chose the one that's not."
Published July 10, 2003.
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD.
SOURCES: News release, U.S. Health and Human Services Department. News release, Center for Science in the Public Interest. Kathleen Zelman, RD, nutrition consultant for the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. WebMD Medical News: "Stealth Fat Lurks in Favorite Foods." WebMD Medical News: "French Fries, Chips Get Fat Makeover."
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