Dec 12, 2006 7:00 pm US/Pacific
Health Officials To Consider Trans Fat Ordinance
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
Health officials were asked Tuesday to determine whether Los Angeles County should adopt a policy that restricts restaurants from cooking with trans fats.
The Department of Public Health will return to the Board of Supervisors in 45 days with a report on regulation and calorie labeling of trans fats.
"Trans fat increases your bad cholesterol and reduces your good cholesterol and for those reasons, among others, increases your risk of having a heart attack or other cardiovascular disease," Dr. Jonathan Fielding, the county's public health director said.
"When you go into a restaurant, you have no idea if you're going to get trans fat or not," he said.
Health officials will also determine whether fast-food restaurants should be required to include calorie and nutritional information on their menus.
Last week, the New York City Board of Health voted to prohibit restaurants from cooking with trans fats, a contributing factor in obesity, heart disease and other health problems.
In Los Angeles County, one in five adults is obese. By 2010, that figure is expected to increase to one in four adults, according to Public Health.
Heart disease also affects about 430,000 people in Los Angeles County, according to health officials.
(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
