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a study of the guests in this restaurant in New York shows that the prohibition of the city on trans fat diet improved its inhabitants :. fast food customers chose healthier options and reduce their trans fat consumption after the ban
There is promising evidence that such changes at the local level can a significant difference in the consumption of the people - not to force them to change behavior significantly on their own. The study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine also shows that people have reduced clogging of arteries intake in trans fats after the ban, without replacing it with another type of fat.
The study by researchers in the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene compared lunches are people who eat at fast-food chains around the city in 2007 and 2009 - before and after the ban of trans fats came into force. In 2009, fast-food meal dinner average contains about 2.4 grams less trans fat, about half a gram of fat per meal trans. More people bought menu items with 0% trans fats after the restriction went up, representing a 86% increase in these healthier options over a two year period.
Trans fats are known to be particularly dangerous for heart health. Some trans fats occur naturally in dairy products and meat, but the majority of these fats in the average American diet come from partially hydrogenated oils widely used in the preparation of prepackaged foods and pricing options, such as commercial products baked and fried foods like French fries.
In 2006, the federal government began requiring packaged food manufacturers to list the amount of trans fat contained per serving, which was helpful for grocery stores buyers comparing the heart-healthiness relative processed foods. But the federal rule had no effect on restaurant meals, which represents about a third of total calories Americans consume every day.
New York City was the first in the country to adopt a prohibition against the use of artificial trans fats in restaurants, requiring food preparers to reformulate recipes or eliminate certain ingredients, so their prices do not contain more than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving.
This is why the results of the current study are so encouraging, says co-author Christine Curtis, director of nutrition strategy programs in the New York City Department of Health, especially in light of another citywide ban proposed against large sugary sodas. "We hope that this clearly shows that there is a possibility for local jurisdictions to protect the health of their consumers," she said.
( MORE: The New York City Soda Ban, and a brief history of wizz Bloomberg)
The study included restaurants habits of people who eat 168 restaurants, representing 11 fast food chains like McDonald's, Burger king, Subway, Au Bon Pain, KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, among others. The researchers compared 6,969 twelve o'clock revenue collected in 2007 with 7,885 purchases in the same restaurants in 2009, a year after the ban on trans fat was in full force.
The researchers studied the guests of fast food both high-income and low-income neighborhoods, but found no difference in the pattern of purchases in both places. This suggests that it may be health problems, more than financial, influencing certain maintenance decisions even in low-income areas, an encouraging sign for the implementation of public policy approaches to improve health.
The scientists also found that the concerns of nutritionists that banning trans fats would just drive restaurants in exchange for other trans fatty unhealthy fats were unfounded; although the consumption of saturated fats has increased slightly, people ended up eating trans fats and saturated less combined after the policy took effect. This means that people ate less fat overall, and therefore the consumption of potentially healthier options.
In addition, the results showed that reducing trans fat consumption was not just from smaller portions. The ban restaurants allowed to come up with different ways to meet the limit of 0.5 grams-per-portion, including the reduction of portion sizes. But some restaurants reformulated their menu items to contain less trans fat, while others abandoned trans fat laden items altogether and replace them with healthier products.
The largest decline of the trans average fat consumption occurred in hamburger chains, with a combination of menus and changes in cooking practices reformulated, such as trade in oils partially hydrogenated oils for trans-fat when frying. After the chains hamburgers, Mexican food chains and fried chicken saw the largest declines in the trans-fat consumption customers.
The study did not follow the guests long enough to see if their choices with less fat converted into real gains for health, as a decrease in heart disease or obesity, but other studies show that these benefits are possible. Previous tests have linked even an increase of 40 calories per day of trans fat consumption to a higher risk of heart disease 23%. And on the basis of data collected in the current study, Curtis said the average dinner ate about 20 calories per day less trans fat. "That gives you an idea of the potential political impact this can have on heart disease," she said.
The American Heart Association recommends that people limit trans fats to less than 2 g per day, while the latest dietary government guidelines advising people to eat as little trans fat as possible.
local prohibition of New York City has led to wider benefits, as national chains like McDonald eventually reduce trans fat whole system. so far, 15 other jurisdictions have taken the lead from New York and restricts trans fat as well, but Curtis hopes the results of the study will inform further legislatures on how powerful such policies can be.
Alice Park is a writer at TIME. Find her on Twitter at @aliceparkny. You can also continue the discussion on TIME's Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME .
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