American Diabetes Association Applauds Decision to Eliminate Trans Fat in All New York City Restaurants

12/12/06 The American Diabetes Association applauds the New York City Board of Health's decision to eliminate artificial trans fat in all New York City restaurants and make calorie content for foods served in restaurants publicly available on menus and menu boards.

Trans fats are linked to heart disease and passage of this proposal is especially relevant to people with diabetes who are at increased risk for heart attack and stroke. Heart disease is the leading cause of diabetes-related deaths. Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates about 2 to 4 times higher than adults without diabetes.

"Our nation is facing an epidemic of diabetes and when you consider that many American adults - and their children - are eating out several times a week, it is even more difficult to avoid trans fats and maintain a healthy diet," said Dr. Peter Sheehan, President of the American Diabetes Association's New York City Leadership Council. "For the more than 700,000 New York City adults diagnosed with diabetes, the passage of this proposal eliminates a major source of artificial trans fats and should serve as a model for other cities to consider."

Making calorie information available through postings on menus and menu boards is also a critical step in helping people get the information they need to better understand how the foods that they eat can have an impact on their weight and overall nutrition goals.

Some 20.8 million adults and children in the United States have diabetes, a group of serious diseases characterized by high blood glucose levels that result from defects in the body's ability to produce and/or use insulin. Diabetes can lead to severely debilitating or fatal complications, such as heart disease, blindness, kidney disease, and amputations. It is the fifth leading cause of death by disease in the U.S.