Obama Administration Gets Rid Of Trans Fats

The FDA issued a final decision on trans fats Tuesday that will phase out partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs), the main source of trans fat.  The food industry has three years to do so, according to Politico.

Partially hydrogenated oils are are still used in a wide variety of products from microwave popcorn to cake frosting, writes Politico.

The government’s goal is to prevent cardiovascular disease, writes Politico.  Advocates are cheering the move as a historic win for public health.

Class-action attorneys may use the ruling even before it takes effect to file lawsuits against deep-pocketed food companies that have continued to use trans fat, writes Politico.

Politico states that “the rest of the industry has reduced its use of trans fat by some 85 percent.”

According to Politico, food industry lawyers are poring over the document to see if FDA said anything that could help shield them from litigation.

The FDA on Tuesday ruled that trans fat is not “generally recognized as safe” for use in human food, according to CNN.

The department gave food manufacturers three years to remove the partially hydrogenated oils, or PHOs, from their products.

Companies can petition the FDA for a special permit to use it, but no PHOs can be added to human food unless otherwise approved by the FDA, claims CNN.

Eating a diet rich in trans fat is linked to higher body weight, heart disease and memory loss, states CNN.

It has been shown to raise the “bad,” or LDL, cholesterol in the blood, which can lead to cardiovascular disease — the leading cause of death in the United States.

(Updated article)

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/obama-bans-trans-fat-119050.html#ixzz3dLgfiWKx

http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/16/health/fda-trans-fat/

GOP To Cut Social Security Disability Payments

Social Security advocates are accusing House Republicans of launching a “sneak attack” on disability insurance on the very first day of the new Congress.

The House on Tuesday passed legislation laying out parliamentary rules for the year. The bill included a little-noticed provision blocking Congress from shifting funds to prevent a 2016 shortfall in Social Security’s disability insurance program.

The Social Security Administration’s actuaries projected that the disability insurance program’s trust fund will run out of money next year, resulting in a 20 percent benefit reduction for nearly 11 million Americans.

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