2008-07-26 02:28:02 -

www.familydocs.org - California Academy of Family Physicians Catherine Direen, 415-595-7050 Family physicians across the state today commended the Governor's signature of a bill making California the first state in the U.S. to bar restaurants from using health-compromising trans fats in food preparation.

"California is at the forefront of protecting our children's and our families' health," said Jeffrey Luther, MD,

president of the 7,000-member California Academy of Family Physicians (CAFP), a co-sponsor of Assembly Bill 97, which Governor Schwarzenegger signed into law this afternoon.

"The trans fats commonly used in oil and shortening are proven to cause heart disease," Luther said, "and that causes premature deaths. Eliminating these fats will help eliminate heart attacks and strokes."

Family physicians in every city, town and rural area believe their patients will be healthier without trans fats. "Family physicians are at the forefront of treating the epidemic of obesity in our state," explained CAFP Past President Carla Kakutani, MD. "Today, the State of California took an important step in addressing the epidemic."

Assemblymember Tony Mendoza, D-Artesia, authored the bill.

Restaurants and other retail establishments now have until Jan, 1, 2010, to stop using trans-fat-containing oil, shortening and margarine used in spreads or for frying and until Jan.1, 2011 to remove such products from fried dough and cake batter.

Editor's Note: Family physicians across the state are available for interviews about the dangers of trans fat, explanations of how trans fats cause heart disease, and comments about ways their local communities will benefit from this new law.

About the California Academy of Family Physicians: With more than 7,000 members, including practicing family physicians, residents in family medicine, and medical students interested in the specialty, CAFP is the largest primary care medical society in California. Family physicians are trained to treat an entire family's medical needs, addressing the whole spectrum of life's medical challenges. FPs serve a broad base of patients in urban, suburban and rural areas, often in California's most underserved areas.

Bill Sponsors Cite Public Health Benefits for Generations to Come