Will Cleveland ban trans-fats too?

Rebecca Castell

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After all of the recent hype surrounding New York City's ban of trans-fats, it looks as though Cleveland may follow in the health movement's footsteps. On Monday, Cleveland City Council unanimously passed a resolution encouraging a ban on the artery clogging substance.

Trans fats are derived from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, a chemically altered substance used in cookies, pie crusts, pizza dough and a variety of other baked and fried foods.

The artificial fat has been demonized because it raises bad cholesterol and lowers levels of healthy cholesterol, leading to heart disease. Bad cholesterol deposits plaque in arteries, while good cholesterol "is like garbage trucks that go around and suck up plaques from the vessel walls," said Dr. Leslie Cho, medical director of preventive cardiology and rehabilitation at the Cleveland Clinic.

Trans fats should be avoided by anyone suffering from heart disease. While Council's resolution does not ban trans fats by law, as New York has recently done, it may start the ball rolling in that direction. Some restaurants including Denny's, Taco Bell and KFC are voluntarily removing all trans fats from their menus.