Should we make ban butter because excessive quantities are bad for your health?

Quote from: zpyderShould we make ban butter because excessive quantities are bad for your health?

Surprisingly, because trans-fats are added to most margarines butter IS better for you than the alternative.

There are far less harmful preservative options than transfats and other thickeners that can be used in margarine.

QuoteThe National Academy of Sciences (NAS) advises the United States and Canadian governments on nutritional science for use in Public policy and product labeling programs. Their 2002 Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids[34]  contains their findings and recommendations regarding consumption of trans fat (summary).

Their recommendations are based on two key facts. First, "trans fatty acids are not essential and provide no known benefit to human health",[1] whether of animal or plant origin.[35] Second, while both saturated and trans fats increase levels of LDL cholesterol (so-called bad cholesterol), trans fats also lower levels of HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol);[2] thus increasing the risk of coronary heart disease. The NAS is concerned "that dietary trans fatty acids are more deleterious with respect to coronary heart disease than saturated fatty acids".[2] This analysis is supported by a 2006 New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) scientific review that states "from a nutritional standpoint, the consumption of trans fatty acids results in considerable potential harm but no apparent benefit."[4]

Because of these facts and concerns, the NAS has concluded there is no safe level of trans fat consumption. There is no adequate level, recommended daily amount or tolerable upper limit for trans fats. This is because any incremental increase in trans fat intake increases the risk of coronary heart disease.[2]

Despite this concern, the NAS dietary recommendations have not recommended the elimination of trans fat from the diet. This is because trans fat is naturally present in many animal foods in trace quantities, and therefore its removal from ordinary diets might introduce undesirable side-effects and nutritional imbalances if proper nutritional planning is not undertaken. The NAS has, therefore, "recommended that trans fatty acid consumption be as low as possible while consuming a nutritionally adequate diet".[36]  Like the NAS, the World Health Organization has tried to balance public health goals with a practical level of trans fat consumption, recommending in 2003 that trans fats be limited to less than 1% of overall energy intake.[29]

The US National Dairy Council has asserted that the trans fats present in animal foods are of a different type than those in partially hydrogenated oils, and do not appear to exhibit the same negative effects.[37] While a recent scientific review agrees with the conclusion (stating that "the sum of the current evidence suggests that the Public health implications of consuming trans fats from ruminant products are relatively limited"), it cautions that this may be due to the low consumption of trans fats from animal sources compared to artificial ones.[4]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat

I thought margerine was something that could potentially be left out indefinitely and itll never get growths on it etc due to its nutrional makeup, or lack of.

Quote from: Chris HI couldnt disagree more with you all. Its not complicated, hard, or even time consuming (I suffer from a food allergy so have to do it all of the time). Checking what sh*te you are shovelling into your mouth is your responsibility.

Checking what goes into food is the govts responsibility too, there are so many different food additives that there is a need for regulation.

Yes for you as an individual checking food contents isnt hard and in theory others could too - in reality this doesnt happen - your argument is rather mute - some kid buying fast food doesnt know what transfats are and nether does some chav mum going home to feed her kids with McDonalds.

Youre not going to stop chav mums buying McDonalds - theyre lazy, fat and unemployed - spending 15 minutes cooking is too much effort when eastenders is on TV. What you can do is stop McDonalds from putting Transfats in the food for the sake of the chav kids who really dont have much choice.

Well said Dave.