Hospital trims trans fat off menu

OGDENSBURG — Amid growing concerns from health and government leaders about the health risks associated with trans fats, Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center announced Monday that it had eliminated them from patient and cafeteria food.

"They're considered the worst of all fats," said Steven R. Hawes, the director of food services at Claxton-Hepburn. "As a health center, we need to be setting the example. We shouldn't be pumping fats, sugars and sodium into patients and expect that when they go home, they'll eat healthy."

Hospital officials reviewed all 920 of the hospital's individual food products, and about half were found to contain trans fat, Mr. Hawes said. A replacement was found for most. Some replacements, such as mixes, could not be found, so they're now being made from scratch.

Researchers have sounded alarm bells about the dangers of trans fats, which are produced by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil, a synthetic process that increases the shelf life of certain products. Crackers, cookies, cakes, fast foods and many fried and processed foods often have a high trans-fat content.

"They raise bad cholesterol, and they strip the levels of good cholesterol," said Debra M. Backus, an associate professor of nursing at SUNY Canton and a nursing supervisor at Claxton-Hepburn. "People who eat a lot of trans fats are at a much higher risk of heart disease."

The Mayo Clinic calls it a "double-barreled impact on your cholesterol levels." Many health advocates advise cutting it out of diets completely.

In 2008, health officials in New York City enacted a ban on the fat at all restaurants. The ban does not extend outside of the city.

"You're going to see the trend where everybody's trans-fat free," Mr. Hawes said. "Manufacturers are aware of it. We're seeing a lot of products that used to have trans fat that don't anymore."

Consumers can now regularly see packages boasting an item's trans-fat-free content.

Other hospitals around the state have started to phase trans fats out of cafeteria menus, said W. Brad McCrudden, spokesman for the Healthcare Association of New York State, a hospital advocacy organization. But budget pressures may be an impediment to the switch, Mr. McCrudden added.

It's a good start, said Sharon B. DeJoy, a professor of public health at SUNY Potsdam.

"My interest is to ensure the health of all those in the community," Ms. DeJoy said. "If you can get the community to reduce the use of trans fats, from a public health perspective, I think it's a good idea."