Some Fats Deserve Change of Heart (This process can lead to the rupture of ...),Health

Sandon supported the idea of greater education on the different forms of dietary fat. "I think it's still very confusing for people," she said. "They don't know if they should be eating low fat, what kind of fat." She also advised moderation in consumption of any kind of fat. All fats have 9 calories per gram, she explained, so even too much of the better fats can lead to weight gain. "They're healthy, but you can't go wild with them," she said.

The Face the Fats campaign is funded by $7 million received from McDonalds USA as part of the settlement of a California class action lawsuit brought by a consumer advocacy group, bantransfat.com, according to the AHA. McDonald's recently announced that it has eliminated trans fats from its fried foods by changing to a canola-based cooking oil.

More information

For more on the Face the Fats campaign, go to the American Heart Association.

SOURCES: Lona Sandon, R.D., L.D., assistant professor, clinical nutrition, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Canter at Dallas, and spokeswoman, American Dietetic Association; Clyde W. Yancy, M.D., medical director, Baylor Heart and Vascular Institute, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, and president-elect, American Heart Association