Medics call for ban on trans-fats in UK food

"Calls to ban trans-fats from all foods in the UK have been backed by US public health experts. Trans-fats - solid fats found in margarines, cakes and fast food - are banned in some countries. An editorial in the British Medical Journal said 7,000 deaths a year could be prevented by a 1% reduction in consumption. But the Food Standards Agency said the UK's low average consumption made a complete ban unnecessary. In January this year, the UK Faculty of Public Health called for the consumption of trans-fats (also know as trans fatty acids) to be virtually eliminated. It says that although trans-fats make up 1% of the average UK adult food energy intake - below the 2% advised as a dangerous level - there are sections of the population where intake is far higher and these groups are being put at risk. In the BMJ article, doctors from Harvard Medical School backed this view and said bans in Denmark and New York City had effectively eliminated trans-fats, without reducing food availability, taste, or affordability. Many studies have shown harmful effects of trans-fats on heart health" - BBC