Turns out, health regulations and state interference can have a measurable effect on public consumption, and perhaps even the obesity epidemic. Some might say that’s a stretch, but at least one ban has found to be beneficial to our health, and for the most part, no one could even tell a thing was missing!
In 2007, the NYC Board of Health banned the use of trans fats in all NYC restaurants. Five years later, city health officials report that the ban has sharply reduced the consumption of the unhealthy fats among fast-food customers.
According to Health, a new analysis of thousands of lunch receipts, collected at fast-food chains before and after the ban went into effect, estimates that the average trans fat content of customers’ meals has dropped by 2.5 grams, from about 3 grams to 0.5 grams. Also, the proportion of meals containing less than 0.5 grams—an amount generally considered negligible—increased from 32% to 59% between 2007 and 2009.
“For consumers, the transition was seamless. Most New Yorkers didn’t even notice,” says Christine Curtis, a coauthor of the study. “And now we know that it has really made a difference.”
The analysis may have been limited to New York City, but many fast food chains, including McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Subway, and KFC, have chosen to eliminate trans fats nationwide as a result of the ban, Curtis says. “It’s a big health benefit for New Yorkers, but really we’re looking at a much broader impact, as well,” she says.
Does this make you more inclined to support the proposed NYC ban on large sodas and sugary drinks?