Experts told USA TODAY that the focus on trans fats is taking attention away from other dietary reasons why most Americans are overweight or obese.

It is important to remind ourselves that changing oils and removing trans fat does not magically turn a deep-fried food into a health food, Dawn Jackson Blatner, a registered dietitian at Northwestern Memorial Wellness Institute in Chicago and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, said.

Artery-clogging trans fats have been banished from restaurants in New York and Philadelphia and cut from popular snack foods, including Oreos.

Robert Eckel, a former president of the American Heart Association, told USA TODAY that getting rid of trans fats is important, but the idea that this is the most harmful (type of) fat is a matter of debate.

The newspaper said that some companies have replaced trans fats with oils high in saturated fat, such as palm oil or coconut oil.

The American Heart Association does not consider it acceptable to substitute saturated fat for trans fats in food products and restaurant foods, Eckel said.

Via Web India