About 28 percent of Iberia Parish residents have been told they have high cholesterol.

About the same number of people, said Mandy Armentor, registered dietitian and extension agent for family and consumer sciences and nutrition with the LSU AgCenter, have high blood pressure.

Four percent of parish residents have coronary heart disease, in keeping with national statistics.

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Armentor said heart disease is the second most common cause of death in this parish.

“It’s a pretty serious thing,” she said.

Grim numbers nationally led to legislation requiring trans fat, a fat which has been linked to heart disease, be listed on food labels in January 2006, the same year New York city banned it.

Last week, California became the first state to ban trans fat, which will be phased completely out of restaurants and retail baked goods in the state by 2011.

But what is trans fat? Why is it bad, and what does it mean for the Teche Area consumer? Will a ban ever be in place in Louisiana?

Trans fat explanation

Armentor said once consumed trans fat never leave the body.

“We can’t get rid of it,” she said. “It lies in artery walls, collects and turns into plaque, which clogs arteries.”

Trans fat “plays a major role in the development of heart disease,” Armentor said.

Formed when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil — a process called “hydrogenation” — trans fat increases the shelf life and flavor stability of food products.

Like saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, trans fat also raises LDL cholesterol levels, which increases the risk of coronary heart disease.

Armentor said the American Heart Association recommends no more than 1 percent of a person’s calories come from trans fat.

“Most Americans will eat 4, 5, 10 grams of trans fat in a day without even consciously thinking about it,” she said.

Trans fat can be found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, cookies, snack foods and other foods made with or fried in partially hydrogenated oils. The majority of trans fat is formed when food manufacturers turn liquid oils into solid fats like shortening and hard margarine. A small amount of trans fat is found naturally, primarily in some animal-based foods.

Armentor recommends reading food labels, and, for fast food junkies, asking for nutrition breakdowns of meals, although she said there are “healthier alternatives.”

Armentor said kinds of fats included in food are “very broken down” in food labels.

Saturated fat is bad for the heart. Mono unsaturated and poly unsaturated fats are healthy when consumed in moderation. Armentor recommended checking to see if saturated fat levels have increased when a product advertises itself as trans fat free.

A ban on trans fat

in Louisiana?

“If (the trans fat ban) does well in California and New York (City), if the trend starts sweeping the nation, I think Louisiana will get on the bandwagon,” said Armentor, adding trans fat was considered in this year’s state legislative sessions.

Wendy Waren, director of communications for the Louisiana Restaurant Association, said a bill that would have required Louisiana restaurants to disclose trans fats on their menus for fried foods was defeated in the state House of Representatives Health and Welfare Committee 9-3.

Jim Funk, president of the LRA, said though “the restaurant agency as a whole knows they need to phase out the use of trans fat,” the agency would prefer national legislation to “problematic” state by state or city by city legislation.

This is because the industry needs time to transition to healthier alternative oils, Funk said.

“A sudden ban may lead the industry back to butter and saturated fats in an effort to quickly switch and comply,” he said.

Funk said the LRA endorsed the Coalition for Responsible Nutrition Information, which supports federal legislation.

“Until a resolution is reached at a national level, we are encouraging our members to voluntarily discontinue the use of trans fat,” Funk said.

Waren said trans fat free and non trans fat free oils are priced similarly.

Restaurants

Seafood Connection chief cook and co-owner Laura LeBlanc said the trans fat free peanut oil the restaurant uses for frying is better tasting and healthier.

“At one time I didn’t really know peanut oil was healthy for us,” she said.

“After I became diabetic, I started reading and continued using it.”

LeBlanc said some customers do not care about trans fat.

“If they want something, they’re gonna eat it,” she said.

LeBlanc said grilling is healthier than frying no matter what kind of oil is used, and that Seafood Connection grills at its Center Street location.

Grilling is also something practiced at another local restaurant, The Patio, said manager Jeanie Romero. She said the restaurant serves grilled chicken, shrimp and fish, steamed vegetables and other heart-healthy options.

Fast food restaurants like Wendy’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell and McDonalds have already begun to move away from trans fats on a national level because of consumer concerns.

“When you’re going out to eat in a restaurant, avoid fried, au gratin and foods with heavy cream,” Armentor said. “And you can always ask if they fry in trans fat free oil.”

The Associated Press contributed to this article.