WHO wants a trans fats ban worldwide and has released a plan to help countries wipe them out in the global food supply.
In a release issued Monday, the U.N. health agency said eliminating trans fats is critical to preventing deaths worldwide, The Associated Press reported. The World Health Organziation estimates that eating trans fats — commonly found in baked and processed foods — leads to the deaths of more than 500,000 people from heart disease every year.
Several countries including Denmark have already virtually eliminated trans fats by introducing legal limits on the industrially-produced oils. Trans fats are also naturally found in meat and dairy products.
Dr. Tom Frieden, a former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, called trans fats "an unnecessary toxic chemical that kills," noting that New York got rid of it a decade ago.
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