Americans' Knowledge of Fats Growing But Still In...( DALLAS Oct. 4 --- A new American...),Health

DALLAS, Oct. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --- A new American Heart Association survey (1) shows consumer awareness of the "bad" fats - trans fat and saturated fat - is at an all-time high. But consumers still need some key information to improve how they eat.

Most Americans Know What - but Not Where - the Bad Fats Are

The survey shows that:

--While 92 percent of consumers are aware of trans fat - a significant

jump from 84 percent in 2006 - only 21 percent can name three food

sources of trans fat on their own.

--And while 93 percent of consumers are aware of saturated fat, only

30 percent can name three food sources of saturated fat on their own.

--But there's good news: Awareness of the link between the bad fats and

increased heart disease risk is up from 63 percent in 2006 to

73 percent in 2007 for trans fat, and from 73 percent to

77 percent for saturated fat.

"We're encouraged to see that consumer awareness of saturated and trans fats is higher than ever and that more people understand the link between these fats and increased heart disease risk," said Robert H. Eckel, M.D., past president of the American Heart Association, chair of its trans fat task force and professor of medicine at the University of Colorado at Denver Health Sciences Center. "But it's clear that consumers need to know which foods contain what fats to minimize both saturated and trans fats and make heart-healthier food choices. Food labels help, but it goes far beyond that in knowing more about the food products without labels we purchase in the grocery or when eating out."

Interest in Healthier Food Choices Is Increasing

Consumers are also taking action more often to eat healthier, particularly as it relates to trans fat. When provided health information in grocery stores or healthier options to order in restaurants, a small but growing number of Americans are more proactive when choosi
'/>"/>