Syndrome X silently stalks Americans. Identified in 1988,
it encompasses several health problems, including high blood
pressure, obesity, diabetes, and cancer. Doctors linked
these deadly medical conditions because they share a common
characteristic: Patients afflicted with these serious illnesses
often have high levels of trans fatty acids (or trains fats)
in their blood. "Forty years after trans fats have
been in the food system on such a large scale," says
Jack Challem, author and nutritionist, "it's becoming
clear that this is dangerous stuff."
GOOD
FATS VS. BAD FATS
The human body needs fats not only for energy, but also
for protection of its vital organs, such as the kidneys
and liver. Additionally, fats absorb vitamins and minerals
essential for growth. But not all fats are helpful. Saturated
fat, which comes from animal products, is difficult to break
down. It builds up inside arteries, gradually clogging blood
circulation and causing high blood pressure and heart attacks.
A
DISASTROUS SOLUTION
A generation ago, doctors recommended that Americans eat
less saturated fat and more unsaturated fat--found in vegetable
oils. Unfortunately, vegetable oils spoil quickly, so the
food industry sought alternatives to use in packaged breads,
cookies, and snack foods. As a solution, manufacturers developed
partial hydrogenation, a process that transforms
liquid vegetable oil into solid oil (like margarine) and
increases shelf life and flavor of packaged food. Ironically,
hydrogenation produced a byproduct--trans fats--which nutritionists
now claim kills more people than the saturated fats it replaced.
Harvard University researchers speculate that 30,000 to
100,000 coronary deaths per year could be saved by eliminating
trans fats.
INFORMING
THE PUBLIC
Scientific studies have documented trans fats' harmful effects
and prompted health officials to revise the Dietary Guidelines
for Americans. The new guidelines, released in 2005, urged
citizens to "keep trans fatty acid consumption as low
as possible." But that advice proved useless until
the Food and Drug Administration forced companies to list
trans fats on nutrition labels. Giving consumers information
to make healthier choices also pressured food companies
to reduce trans fats or risk losing business. "But
restaurants didn't have labeling as an incentive to change,"
says Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of the Center
for Science in the Public Interest, "so they've needed
other incentives: a lawsuit here, a municipal phase-out
proposal there."
NEW
YORK CITY BANS TRANS FATS
On December 5, 2006, New York City ordered trans fats phased
out of all restaurants. Critics of the ban, like New York
Times columnist John Tierney, complain it exceeds the state's
moral authority. He argues that previous public-health bans,
such as smoking restrictions in restaurants, are justified
because those prohibitions protect innocent victims from
unhealthy actions of others. The trans fat ban, however,
denies consumers freedom of choice, turning "the Big
Apple into Big Nanny."
THE
JEWISH VIEW
Jewish law strives to create a holy community, even sometimes
at the expense of personal choice. Indeed, our tradition
records multiple examples of communal coercion--like bans---designed
to ensure justice and well-being in society. For example,
if a business produces foul odors, it's prohibited from
operating within city limits (Baba Batra 2:9);
if life-cycle observances become too extravagant, communal
bans curb spending (Moed Katan 27a-27b). Because
good health is a religious obligation (Mishneh Torah,
Deot 4:1), the Jewish ideal of a moral economy would
support the trans fat ban.
