New York trans fat ban improving health, study finds

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Since New York banned trans fat in restaurant food in 2008, restaurant diners have consumed in average 2.4 gram less trans fat per lunch, according to a recent study.

When the new rules banning all but the smallest amounts of trans fat went live over 4 years ago, NY was pioneering. Restaurant can since 2008 no longer contain more than maximum 0.5 gram of trans fat per serving and cannot be prepared with partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.

The changes seems to be efficient. Researchers from New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene have found a significant reduction in consumption of trans fat, leading to better cardiovascular health.

Alice Lichtenstein, director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory at Tufts University in Boston, said the research shows “that public health initiatives, if done right, seem to work.” A key factor, she said, was that diners didn’t have to choose: “The environment has been shifted so that you automatically will get the healthier option.”

Michael R. Bloomberg, mayor of New York for 12 years, has taken an active role to improve public health. Hopefully, his plan to ban large sugary drinks at restaurants will also be reality within short.

So next time you visit restaurants in New York, you can be glad to know that it might be healthier than food in UK.

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