The Fatening up of America by McDonalds

Dietary guidelines state that only 1 percent of a person's daily calorie intake should come from trans fat. One small order of McDonald's French fries contains enough trans fat to fill a day and a half's worth.

Triggering heart disease more than any other fat is trans fat, which can be found in most fast foods. This makes eating out a potential hazard to the heart. This is due to the fact that most fast food chain restaurants fry their foods with a leading source of trans fat, otherwise known as the artery clogging partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (PHO).

Most Americans' trans fat intake stems from PHO. At one time, trans fat was considered to be safer than saturated fat, however that theory quickly changed as it proved to negatively affect blood cholesterol levels. Some of the dangerous consequences related to trans fat is that it not only raises bad cholesterol, LDL, but it lowers good cholesterol, HDL. For these reasons, trans fat can be held accountable for the tens of thousands of deaths last year caused by heart attacks.

Fast food giant, McDonald's, promised to eliminate their use of PHO by creating a cooking oil with less trans fat. They claimed it was one step closer to cutting trans fat altogether.

McDonald's lovers have yet to see that promise fulfilled.

Although McDonald's in Denmark have switched to healthier cooking oil, McDonald's in the United States have retracted from any such actions. In fact, McDonald's is being sued in California for misleading the public by not following through with their proposed actions. Members of the Center of Science and Public Interest group described McDonald's continual use of trans fat as "reckless and irresponsible."

In addition to McDonald's, fast food chains using PHO include:

* Burger King
* Wendy's
* Applebee's
* Krispy Kreme

It is not illegal for the restaurants to use PHO, however, new labeling rules are pushing manufacturers of processed foods in the direction of switching to less harmful oils. Those fighting against the use of PHO hope to gain some ground by asking the FDA to require restaurants using PHO to make it known by printing it in their menus or on their signs.

Trans fat can be found naturally in meat and dairy products.