Subject: FW: trans fatty acid labeling


-----Original Message-----
From: Fred Kummerow [mailto:fkummero@uiuc.edu] 
Sent: Wednesday, April 21, 2004 4:09 PM
To: Latham, Jeanne E
Subject: Re: trans fatty acid labeling


To:  Jeanne Latham
Re:  Comment on labeling of food items for trans fatty acid content
Fr:  Fred A. Kummerow, Ph.D.
       Adjunct professor, Dept.  Bioscience
       College of Veterinary Medicine
       University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801

You will note from the article in Life Sciences (vol. 74, p2704, 2004) that 
acyl CoA is not inhibited by the trans isomers in butter fat.  Consequently 
the trans fatty acids in ruminant fats should not be classified with the 
trans fat in hydrogenated fat.

Saturated fatty acids will not increase plasma cholesterol concentration, 
if fed with enough polyunsaturated fatty acids.  This has been an error in 
the thinking of AHA committees.  I was on the 1968 committee.

Infants are most at risk if their main source of nutrients is provided from 
mother's who regularly consume trans fat which will appear in their milk 
supply.  The trans fat will inhibit the synthesis of PUFA that are needed 
in brain and eye tissue.

Consequently, I recommend the elimination of trans fat from our food 
supply.  Vegetable oils are valuable food sources, but they can be 
processed without converting the EFA to trans fat.