[size=+1]Dying for a burger? Why are trans fats still legal in the UK?[/size]
The trans fats in junk food are responsible for the deaths of around 7,000 people a year in the UK – and teenagers are most at risk. Elsewhere, these toxic substances are banned. So why are they still legal in this country?
Investigation by Clare Dwyer Hogg
Saturday, 10 September 2011
She describes partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils as "twisting, warping, making the molecule the wrong shape". And the shapes of molecules are, she says, hugely important. "It's like a key that needs to fit a lock, and trans fats are literally twisted, warped versions of natural polyunsaturates... That makes them bad." She cites research last year into how trans fats react with some drugs, which showed that in combination with repeated amphetamine use, trans fats exacerbate the well-known psychotic effects. "This is a common street drug, and we also give amphetamines to ADHD children, albeit at much lower doses," she says, referring to medications like Ritalin. "This study showed that trans fats can increase the physical brain damage and manic behaviour associated with amphetamine abuse."
Full article: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...trans-fats-still-legal-in-the-uk-2351306.html
The trans fats in junk food are responsible for the deaths of around 7,000 people a year in the UK – and teenagers are most at risk. Elsewhere, these toxic substances are banned. So why are they still legal in this country?
Investigation by Clare Dwyer Hogg
Saturday, 10 September 2011
She describes partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils as "twisting, warping, making the molecule the wrong shape". And the shapes of molecules are, she says, hugely important. "It's like a key that needs to fit a lock, and trans fats are literally twisted, warped versions of natural polyunsaturates... That makes them bad." She cites research last year into how trans fats react with some drugs, which showed that in combination with repeated amphetamine use, trans fats exacerbate the well-known psychotic effects. "This is a common street drug, and we also give amphetamines to ADHD children, albeit at much lower doses," she says, referring to medications like Ritalin. "This study showed that trans fats can increase the physical brain damage and manic behaviour associated with amphetamine abuse."
Full article: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...trans-fats-still-legal-in-the-uk-2351306.html
