The Most Important Principles for Staying Young: One Regulation You Should Keep…

Our basic premise is that your body is amazing.  You get a do over. It doesn’t take that long, and it isn’t that hard if you know what to do.  In these notes, we give you a short course on what to do so it becomes easy for you and for you to teach others. We want you to know how much control you have over both the quality and length of your life.

In recent months, I shared a summary and some secrets from of our new book AgeProof: Living Longer Without Running Out of Money or Breaking a Hip (released February 28th, 2017—thank you to all of you who bought a copy). This month, I want to bring up a concern that may help you (and the rest of America or whatever country you’re from) be AgeProof: Don’t let them ruin your food by doing away with the regulation on Trans Fats.

In 2013, New York banned trans fats in restaurants.  As the ban rolled out over a three-year period, counties that went with the new rule right away experienced a 6.2 percent decrease in hospital admissions for myocardial infarction (heart attack) and stroke compared with counties that hadn’t yet adopted the restriction.

A United States-wide ban on trans fats would save about a $150 billion dollars a year in just hospital costs, not to mention the productivity loses that would be averted by fewer people having cardiovascular events. The federal government itself would book over $60 billion in savings.

Thanks to the FDA listing trans fats as not generally regarded as safe (GRAS), as well as docs and healthy eating advocates getting the word out that partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (that’s what trans fats are) are unhealthy, Americans now consume 80 percent fewer trans fats than they did a decade ago! And in 2018, we’re set for a nationwide ban.

Trans fats got into the food supply as a way to extend the shelf life of packaged edibles by infusing hydrogen into vegetable oils, transforming them into a more solid state and extending the shelf life of prepared foods and baked goods (and shortening yours—maybe that’s why they call it shortening).

So get trans fats off your plate now. How? Read labels. Don’t eat or buy foods with “partially hydrogenated ” anything on the ingredients list. Understand that the labeling law allows products to claim “0 grams of trans fats” if they contain less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving. Eating several portions of foods containing some trans fat may boost your total intake to a level high enough to affect your health. Your best bet: Stay clear of prepared and packaged baked goods and foods. You’ll be living with more energy and a younger RealAge.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to send questions—to  AgeProoflife@gmail.com

Dr. Mike Roizen

NOTE: You should NOT take this as medical advice.

This article is of the opinion of its author.

Before you do anything, please consult with your doctor.

You can follow Dr Roizen on twitter @YoungDrMike (and get updates on the latest and most important medical stories of the week).  The YOU docs have two newly revised books: The patron saint “book” of this column YOU Staying Young—revised and YOU: The Owner’s Manual…revised —yes a revision of the book that started Dr Oz to being Dr Oz.  These makes great gifts—so do YOU: ON a Diet and YOU: The Owner’s Manual for teens.  

Michael F. Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer and chair of the Wellness Institute at the Cleveland Clinic. His radio show streams live on http://www.radioMD.com Saturdays from 5-7 p.m. He is the co-author of 4 #1 NY Times Best Sellers including: YOU Staying Young.