(NewMediaWire) - June 16, 2015 - Washington, D.C. - American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown issued the following comments on the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) final determination that partially hydrogenated oils are no longer “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS), released today:

“The American Heart Association joins the public health community today in celebrating what is truly a historic victory for the nation’s health. After years of advocating for the removal of industrially produced trans fat from the country’s food supply, we couldn’t be more gratified that this day has finally come.

Eliminating this unsafe ingredient from our diets will help give Americans a fighting chance against cardiovascular disease – the leading cause of death in the U.S. Research has shown that trans fat raises “bad” cholesterol in the blood, which is a major risk factor for developing heart disease. Thanks to the FDA’s actions, taking industrially produced trans fat out of the food supply may prevent 10,000 to 20,000 heart attacks and 3,000 to 7,000 coronary deaths each year, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study. And the Center for Effective Government has calculated that averting these heart attacks and deaths could create $30 and $41 billion in benefits to the U.S. economy.

Trans fat clearly poses a serious health risk and we are so pleased that the GRAS status for this industrially produced ingredient has been revoked at last. The association commends the FDA for following through with its determination. In doing so, the agency has taken a firm step to protect the heart health of this country.”

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For media inquiries, please contact Abbey Dively at abbey.dively@heart.org or 202-785-7905.