You may eat more trans fat than you think

CLEVELAND, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- If a food has .49 grams of trans fat per serving the label can list trans fat as zero but a few servings provide more than you should eat, U.S. researchers say.

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine student Eric Brandt says the daily recommended amount of trans fat from processed foods is 1.11 grams, so one can easily exceed the healthy recommended intake. For example, eating three serving sizes, each with .49 grams of trans fat, totals 1.47 grams -- above the recommended amount.

Brandt says trans fat consumption has been linked to increased risk of coronary artery disease, diabetes and sudden cardiac death.

Studies show increasing daily trans fat consumption from .9 percent to 2.1 percent, or from 2 grams to 4.67 grams, will increase one's risk of cardiovascular disease by 30 percent, Brandt says.

Brandt recommends the Food and Drug Administration revise its labeling protocol to prevent misleading the public about the amount of trans fat they are consuming -- and require food labels to report trans fat content in smaller increments, enabling consumers to recognize significant levels of trans fat in food products and allow proper management of consumption.