AAFP backs FDA tentative trans fats determination

(HealthDay)—The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has expressed their support for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's tentative determination regarding partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) as food additives.

Noting that PHOs have been used in food for many years based on self-determinations that such use is generally safe, Jeffrey J. Cain, M.D., board chair of the AAFP, responded via letter to the FDA's request for comments about the tentative determination regarding PHOs. If the tentative determination is finalized, food manufacturers will no longer be allowed to sell PHOs unless the manufacturer has received FDA approval.

In a literature review, members of the AAFP's Americans in Motion-Healthy Interventions initiative panel found that PHOs contribute to obesity in children and adults, have adverse effects on blood cholesterol levels, increase the risk of coronary heart disease, and contribute to insulin resistance.

"The AAFP reviewed the scientific evidence cited and we are pleased to wholeheartedly support the FDA's determination that PHOs are not generally safe for use in food," Cain writes in the letter.