VOA慢速英语:FDA Moves to End The Use of Partially Hydrogenated Oils

Food safety agencies in the United States have launched an effort to end the use of partially hydrogenated oils, these oils are the main cause of "trans fats" in some processed foods. Health officials say the use of trans fats in food products is possibly harmful and can lead to deadly health conditions.
美国食品安全机构已经开始一项努力，以停止使用部分氢化油。这些油是一些加工食品中“反式脂肪”的主要成因。卫生官员称，在食品中使用反式脂肪可能是有害的，并能导致致命的健康问题。

It is an example of what tastes good may not be good for you. Many of the foods that can contain trans fats are American favorites, they are thought of as comfort food, a lot of people eat a great deal of these foods.
这是“美味却不利于健康”的一个实例。许多可能含有反式脂肪的食物都是美国人最喜爱，它们被认为是美味的食物，很多人都大量食用此类食物。

Lisa Martin is a heart specialist at George Washington University in Washington D.C.
Lisa Martin是华盛顿特区的乔治华盛顿大学的心脏病专家。

"Cookies, cakes, pies and pastries, a lot of those prepared foods have the trans fat to increase the shelf life," said Martin.
Martin说，“饼干、蛋糕、馅饼和糕点，许多这种预加工食品都含有反式脂肪以延长保质期。”

Dr. Martin says published reports have shown that trans fats block the flow of blood in the arteries and lead to serious health problems.
Martin博士称，发布的报告显示，反式脂肪会阻塞血液在动脉中的流动，并导致严重的健康问题。

"There are some of the articles that have shown that small amounts of trans fats reach 2 percent increases of trans fat in the diet. You can increase your chance of having a heart attack by as much as 30 percent in some of those articles. So, it is a significant risk factor for developing heart disease," she said.
她说，“有些文章表明，少量反式脂肪能使饮食中反式脂肪达到2%的增长。其中一些论文表明，反式脂肪会增加30%的心脏病患病几率。因此，它是心脏病患病的一个显著的风险因素。”

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says some manufacturers and other businesses have already cut trans fat levels in their products. But the FDA says a further reduction could prevent an additional 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths from heart disease each year.
美国食品和药物管理局（FDA）称，一些制造商和其它企业已经减少了反式脂肪在产品中的含量。但FDA称，进一步降低反式脂肪含量每年能够预防20,000起心脏病发作和7,000起心脏病死亡。

FDA food safety director Dennis Keefe says studies on the possible healthy benefits show why trans fats should not be used in food.
FDA食品安全总监Dennis Keefe称，针对潜在健康益处的研究表明了为什么反式脂肪不应该在食品中使用。

"Information provided by recognized scientific bodies such as the Institute of Medicine indicated that and recommended that consumption of trans fats should be reduced to as close to zero as possible," said Keefe.
Keefe称，“美国医学研究所之类的知名科学机构提供的资料显示，反式脂肪的使用量应该尽可能减少。”

Man-made trans fats have been used in restaurants and in processed foods to improve the texture, taste and the storage time of foods. But Mr. Keefe says a growing number of food producers are finding other substances to use instead of trans fats.
人造反式脂肪一直被用于餐馆和加工食品中用于改善口感、味道和食品储存时间。但Keefe先生，越来越多食品生产商开始寻找其它物质来替代反式脂肪。

"There are products that indeed can be formulated without the use of partially hydrogenated oils," he said.
他说，“有些产品实际上已经不再使用'部分氢化油'。”

Americans will have 60 days to comment on an FDA proposal for ending the use of partly hydrogenated oils before the rule is final.
美国人将有60天的时间在FDA停止使用部分氢化油提案正式生效前对它作出评论。