Good News: Trans Fats Intake Has Gone Down

Here's some good news for the health-conscious: The CDC reports that trans fat levels in the bloodstream of Caucasian adults have dropped 58 percent from 2000 to 2009.

They are currently examining trans fatty acid levels in other groups, including other adult race/ethnic groups, children, and adolescents.

Still, this is good news. "Findings from the CDC study demonstrate the effectiveness of these efforts in reducing blood TFAs and highlight that further reductions in the levels of trans fats must remain an important public health goal," Christopher Portier, director of CDC′s National Center for Environmental Health, said in a press release.

The USDA's recent school lunch changes require school lunches to prepare meals using ingredients and products with zero trans fat. Even then, though, The Salt points out that the FDA allows foods with 0.5 grams trans fat per serving to be labeled as zero trans fat products.

To reduce trans fat intake, the CDC suggests replacing margarine with unsaturated vegetable oil, or choosing a soft margarine spread (with less trans fat) instead of stick margarine.

The Daily Byte is a regular column dedicated to covering interesting food news and trends across the country. Click here for previous columns.