[00:00.10]From VOA Learning English,
[00:02.52]this is the Health Report.
[00:05.81]Food safety agencies in the United States
[00:10.07]have launched an effort
[00:12.06]to end the use of partially hydrogenated oils,
[00:17.56]these oils are the main cause of "trans fats"
[00:21.66]in some processed foods.
[00:24.32]Health officials say the use of trans fats
[00:28.07]in food products is possibly harmful
[00:31.42]and can lead to deadly health conditions.
[00:35.38]It is an example of what tastes good
[00:39.08]may not be good for you.
[00:41.78]Many of the foods that can contain trans fats
[00:46.28]are American favorites,
[00:49.08]they are thought of as comfort food,
[00:52.33]a lot of people eat a great deal of these foods.
[00:56.93]Lisa Martin is a heart specialist
[01:00.53]at George Washington University in Washington D.C.
[01:05.63]"Cookies, cakes, pies and pastries,
[01:08.93]a lot of those prepared foods have the trans fat
[01:12.55]to increase the shelf life," said Martin.
[01:14.25]Dr. Martin says published reports have shown
[01:19.19]that trans fats block the flow of blood in the arteries
[01:25.39]and lead to serious health problems.
[01:30.05]"There are some of the articles that have shown
[01:34.16]that small amounts of trans fats
[01:36.41]reach 2 percent increases of trans fat in the diet.
[01:39.65]You can increase your chance of having a heart disease
[01:42.51]by as much as 30 percent in some of those articles.
[01:45.50]So, it is a significant risk factor
[01:48.98]for developing heart disease," she said.
[01:50.98]The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says
[01:55.39]some manufacturers and other businesses
[01:59.34]have already cut trans fat levels in their products.
[02:04.49]But the FDA says a further reduction
[02:08.13]could prevent an additional 20,000 heart attacks
[02:14.33]and 7,000 deaths from heart disease each year.
[02:20.18]FDA food safety director Dennis Keefe says
[02:25.69]studies on the possible healthy benefits show
[02:29.39]why trans fats should not be used in food.
[02:34.39]"Information provided by recognized scientific bodies
[02:37.84]such as the Institute of Medicine indicated that
[02:41.03]and recommended that consumption of trans fats
[02:44.59]should be reduced to as close to zero as possible," said Keefe.
[02:47.89]Man-made trans fats have been used in restaurants
[02:52.29]and in processed foods to improve the texture,
[02:56.70]taste and the storage time of foods.
[03:00.66]But Mr. Keefe says a growing number of food producers
[03:06.06]are finding other substances to use instead of trans fats.
[03:13.31]"There are products that indeed can be formulated
[03:15.81]without the use of partially hydrogenated oils," he said.
[03:18.87]Americans will have 60 days to comment on an FDA proposal
[03:25.04]for ending the use of partly hydrogenated oils
[03:29.79]before the rule is final.
[03:32.44]And that is the Health Report from VOA Learning English.