A frat boy relaxes behind me slumped in a sweatshirt and baseball cap during lunchtime at the Regent Street McDonald's. He absentmindedly lifts fry after fry to his mouth while he flips through his notes, perhaps unaware his Premium Chicken Club packs 660 calories and 1.5 grams of trans fat, while his large Coca-Cola adds 310 calories.
Nearby, a middle-aged business woman in a red suit and gold jewelry, with practical, styled hair reads The Wall Street Journal with only the company of her two double cheeseburgers (880 calories, two grams of trans fats), large fry (570 calories, eight grams of trans fats) and a large drink I can only hope is a Diet Coke.
A brunette, slightly frazzled mother sits and scolds her 5-year-old son. He swings his green rain-booted feet under the booth as he eats his Happy Meal: Six-piece Chicken Nuggets (1.5 grams of trans fats) and a small fry (3.5 grams of trans fats). And if mom adds some McDonaldland Cookies? Add 2.5 grams of trans fats.
What are trans fats?
Trans fats have always been present in small amounts in animal products such as dairy and meats. However, large amounts of trans fats are now present in processed foods as a result of the addition of hydrogen to plant oils in a process called hydrogenation.
Even though these fats have been linked to cardiovascular disease, food manufacturers still frequently use trans fats in frying oils and other products.
""Trans fats were developed to chemically produce fats which are more stable over time,"" UW-Madison professor of medicine Patrick McBride said. ""These are artificially altered fats which allow food to last longer—processed foods can now sit in a vending machine without refrigeration.""
Currently, trans fats are found in a wide variety of foods, especially breads, margarine, fried foods, cakes and store-made baked goods.
Alan Schwartzstein, a family medical specialist for Dean Health System Clinic in Oregon, Wis., said from a production standpoint, there are many benefits to using trans fat.
""It replaces animal fats used by bakers—by replacing animal fats, a product may be consumed by vegetarians—It cuts down food getting rancid by increasing shelf life, and it decreases requirements of refrigeration,"" he said.
Hard on the heart
The danger of trans fats lies in their reported association with cardiovascular disease and the danger they pose in clogging arteries.
""When ingested in high amounts, [trans fats] will lead to an increase of lipoproteins that lead to cardiovascular disease,"" UW-Madison professor of biochemistry and nutritional sciences James Ntambi said.
There are two main forms of cholesterol: high-density lipoproteins and low-density lipoproteins. Trans fats increase the level of LDL, which tend to clog the arteries, and evidence suggests may be associated with heart disease, according to Schwartzstein.
However, unlike saturated fats, which just increases the levels of LDL, trans fats actually lower the levels of HDL, the good cholesterol.
Fat is a necessary component to nutrition, so health experts emphasize the benefits of unsatuated fats.
""Fat in general is important,"" Ntambi said. ""You have to have a certain amount of fat that is proportional to your body.""
UW-Madison sophomore and biology major Brenna Knaebe shares a similar philosophy and tries to eat healthy fats, such as mono- and poly-unsaturated.
""I think fat is very good for you, so I eat lots of nuts ... basically, I'll eat as much oil as I want, and as many nuts,"" she said. ""I try to avoid eating a lot of animal fat, so I drink skim milk and I eat plain, nonfat yogurt. Everything I fry, like vegetables, I fry in olive oil.""
Knaebe's interest in health started in high school when her mother was diagnosed with a liver disease and the entire family turned their eating habits around. Eventually her mother stopped her detailed analysis of food, but Knaebe continued her healthy habits.
""When I go to friend's houses ... I always look at the bag first,"" she said.
Although not everyone shares Knaebe's zeal for health, research on the danger of trans fats may help alleviate some of the damage of cardiovascular disease, a lead killer of Americans.
""Heart disease accounts for 40 percent of all deaths and disabilities in the U.S.,"" McBride said.
Finding alternatives
In light of these heart disease statistics, researchers are finding there are already many alternatives to trans fats, and have made progress in the production of trans fats substitutes.
Another available option is vegetable oil sources. According to associated professor of food science Barbara Ingham, manufacturers in the food industry can custom-blend oils, mixing those high in saturated fats with those low in saturated fats.
Additionally, Ntambi recommended fish oils as a suitable replacement for trans fats.
""[Our bodies] prefer to ingest what we call fish oils,"" he said. ""They tend to have beneficial effects.""
However, this new demand for alternatives to trans fats hangs heavy on the purse strings of producers.
""The food manufacturers are caught between foods that bring them money and business, and health needs,"" Schwartzstein said.
Getting the word out
Because food manufacturers tend to have a vested financial interest in the use of trans fats, they are slow to adopt new methods of food production.
In July 2003, the Food and Drug Administration issued a regulation requiring food manufacturers to list the amount of trans fat in a product, with a mandatory enforcement by Jan. 1, 2006. However, products containing less than .5 grams of trans fat per serving may be labeled as containing zero grams of trans fat, and some consumers find this problematic.
""They [may] say zero grams of trans fat on the label, but you still have to look on the label because sometimes they still have partially hydrogenated [oil],"" Knaebe said.
When labels aren't enough
Some consumer groups have pushed further than just more detailed food labels.
The U.S. non-profit corporation, BanTransFats.com, Inc., filed a lawsuit against Kraft foods in 2003, trying to force Kraft to remove trans fats from its Oreo cookies.
Kraft is not the only group to remove trans fats.
New York city has been at the forefront of removing trans fats. In December 2006, the city's Board of Health voted to ban artificial trans fats in New York city restaurants by this coming summer. Chicago is also considering a similar ban, removing trans fats from oils used for frying in large chain restaurants. Even the Girl Scouts of America decided earlier this year to reduce trans fats in their cookies.
The legislation has been controversial in regards to the legalities associated with all-encompassing bans.
""In this particular case, I think it was a change that the food industry could make, and they would have dragged their heels if a group ... hadn't simply forced the change,"" Ingham said.
McBride points out that legislation about safety hazards is not unusual, such as in the case of lead, asbestos, immunizations, speed limits and food safety.
""To put this in perspective, this is a much bigger problem than lead in paint or asbestos, because of the negative effects and how common they are in our society,"" he said. ""It is estimated that NYC will have more than 900 fewer deaths next year due to this change.""
Trans fat in Madison
Madison has its own advocacy groups, which work to warn the public about the possible health risks presented by trans fats.
Transfatfreemadison.com is the website of Informed Consumers Equal Improved Health, a UW-Madison student organization working to reduce trans fats in Madison-area restaurants and inform locals by distributing pamphlets.
According to Informed Consumers president Dan Chavas, the group is in the process of surveying which restaurants use partially hydrogenated cooking oils.
""Using these results, we will create a two-tier award system,"" he said. ""A ‘silver' award for those who do not cook in partially hydrogenated oils, and a ‘gold' award for those who are totally trans-fat free or very close to it.""
The group plans to unveil the awards to the public at a display during the first outdoor farmer's market on April 21.
Even with the work of student and local groups, a local ban on trans fats does not seem to be in Madison's near future.
In addition to being a family medicine specialist, Schwartzstein also serves as chair to the Board of Health for Madison and Dane County. According to him, nothing has come before the Board regarding any effort to ban trans fats in Dane County.
Knaebe doesn't mind the lack of a trans-fat ban in Madison, but would prefer if restaurants labeled entrees as trans fat free.
She sees the country as a whole turning toward more healthy eating habits and natural foods, mentioning to the natural and organic food aisles at large grocery stores such as Copp's or Cub Foods. ""I know there's the whole obesity epidemic, so people are becoming more aware of this, and I think also that when it gets into the media, as it has been in recent years, obviously then people start to care because they're informed about it,"" she said.
It might be awhile before the people sitting near me at McDonald's start to care about health issues and trade their greasy wrappers for brown bags, fruits and vegetables.
The frat boy finishes both his Chicken Club and his studying. The red-suited business woman, having eaten through both her double cheeseburgers and fries, closes her newspaper and returns to work. The kid in green rain boots plays with his Happy Meal toy. They all seem blissfully unaware of the amount of trans fat they have consumed in just one sitting. I lean back and pick at my salad, no longer hungry.
