McDonald's Unveils Trans Fat-Free Cooking Oil

McDonald's Unveils Trans Fat-Free Cooking Oil

Jan. 30 (iVillage Total Health) -- Fast food giant McDonald's Corp. has confirmed they have found a replacement for the artery-clogging trans fatty acid cooking oils used to make french fries and other menu items.

The announcement has french fry lovers pondering the same question: Could they still taste great and be healthier for your heart too?

"Our goal is to provide our customers with significantly reduced or 0 grams [trans fatty acid] fried products that meet their expectations for taste and quality," McDonald's spokesman William Whitman said in a written statement. "We are pleased that we've identified an alternative oil which thousands of customers say produces the same great taste in our fries."

Trans fatty acids -- or trans fats -- are the basis of many lards, spreads and solid cooking oils. Trans fats are produced when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil. This process - called hydrogenation -- makes some foods, particularly baked and fried goods, tastier and keeps them fresher longer on store shelves. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that Americans get 8 percent of their trans fat intake from fried potatoes. The largest share -- 40 percent -- comes from cakes, cookies and other baked goods.

Trans fats raise the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) blood levels in the body. LDLs are the bad cholesterol responsible for clogging arteries and causing strokes and heart attacks. Trans fats also reduce the level of good cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein or HDL) in the blood.

However, a 2006 study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health showed a link between trans fats and an increased risk of coronary artery disease and other serious conditions. Many fast food restaurant chains (including McDonald's competitors KFC, Taco Bell and Wendy's International) have voluntarily replaced trans fats with healthier unsaturated fats, such as olive, canola, soybean, corn or sunflower oils.

Whitman said in a phone interview that the new McDonald's oil will consist of a mixture of canola, corn and soy. The new oil has already rolled out in 1,200 of the chain's 13,700 U.S. restaurants, he said. More will receive the new supplies as they become available.

The Harvard study also found that eating just 5 grams of trans fat a day could increase the risk of heart disease by 25 percent. Researchers concluded that eliminating trans fat from the American diet could prevent between 6 and 19 percent of heart attacks and related deaths each year.

Late last year, New York took measures to ban the use of trans fat in foods prepared in restaurants starting this July. Several other cities across the country are poised to follow the Big Apple's lead.