Statement Of The American Diabetes Association On The NY City Health Department's Proposal To Phase Out Artificial Trans Fat In All Restaurants

Main Category: Diabetes
Also Included In: Nutrition / Diet;  Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness;  Cholesterol
Article Date: 05 Oct 2006 - 0:00 PDT

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The American Diabetes Association applauds the New York City Health Department's proposal to eliminate artificial trans fats in all New York City restaurants and make calorie content for foods served in restaurants publicly available on menus and menu boards.

Trans fats are linked to heart disease and this proposal is especially relevant to people with diabetes who are at increased risk for heart attack and stroke. Heart disease is the leading cause of diabetes-related deaths. Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates about 2 to 4 times higher than adults without diabetes.

Our nation is facing an epidemic of diabetes and when you consider that many American adults - and their children - are eating out several times a week, it is even more difficult to avoid trans fats and maintain a healthy diet. For the more than 700,000 New York City adults diagnosed with diabetes, this proposal will eliminate a major source of artificial trans fats and can hopefully serve as a model for other cities to consider.

Making calorie information available through postings on menus and menu boards is also a critical step in helping people get the information they need to better understand how the foods that they eat can have an impact on their weight and overall nutrition goals.

Some 20.8 million adults and children in the United States have diabetes, a group of serious diseases characterized by high blood glucose levels that result from defects in the body's ability to produce and/or use insulin. Diabetes can lead to severely debilitating or fatal complications, such as heart disease, blindness, kidney disease, and amputations. It is the fifth leading cause of death by disease in the U.S.

The American Diabetes Association is the nation's leading voluntary health organization supporting diabetes research, information and advocacy. Founded in 1940, the Association has offices in every region of the country, providing services to hundreds of communities. For more information, please call the American Diabetes Association at 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383) or visit http://www.diabetes.org. Information from both these sources is available in English and Spanish.