The Evil Trans Fats
... care system because they lead to Diabetes and Coronary Heart Disease. In order for the Government to make health care sustainable, they need to take proactive measures, one being regulating TFA’s. The FDA estimates that labeling alone would prompt changes in eating habits that would save at least $1 billion in annual health care costs. TFA’s is not only responsible for about 30, 000 premature deaths in North America. It can be held responsible for an even larger number of health care patients each year (Mirkin 2003). Health Canada suggests that regulating TFA’s could save the health-care system $5.3 billion over the next 20 years (Martin 2003). The passing of this bill would help the Canadian society because of the lower health care costs. The consumption of TFA’s lead to Diabetes because cell membranes that are rich in TFA’s are unable to admit insulin from the bloodstream into the cells. Insulin is used by the body to lower blood sugar levels. (Platzman 1998). According to investigators with the Nurses’ Health Study, 40% of Adult Onset (Type 2) Diabetes can be prevented by decreasing 2% of the TFA’s consumed and substituting it with polyunsaturated fats. In one year the share of the adult population diagnosed with Diabetes jumped from 6.5% in 1998 to 6.9% in 1999. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention blame the rise on obesity which was up 57% from 1991 due to consumption of hydrogenated oils (Mercola 2004). More than 22 million children under five years old are obese or overweight. Each of these children is at a higher risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. Previously, this was known as Adult Onset Diabetes since it would be diagnosed later in life, but because of poor diet it is becoming increasingly common in children. There were fewer than 4 percent of childhood Diabetes cases in 1990 that were Type 2. Presently, that number has risen to approximately 20 percent (Ban Trans Fats). Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in Canada. These staggering numbers could easily be altered if TFA’s were regulated in Canada. TFA’s are not only linked with the increase of Diabetes but they are also responsible for increasing the risk of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), by lowering blood levels of the “good” HDL (low density lipoproteins) cholesterol which protects against heart attacks. TFA’s raise the levels of the “bad” LDL cholesterol, which causes clotting of the arteries (Ban Trans Fats). Dr. Walter Willet, Harvard School of Health Science compared the effects of TFA’s on plasma LDL and HDL levels, and...