New York City/ wants to fight fat. The Board of Health/ has passed a ban/ on trans fats/ in all restaurants.

Eating places/ have until July/ to stop frying foods/ in oils/ high in trans-fatty acids. And they have until July of two thousand eight/ to reduce trans fat/ in other foods/ to less than one-half gram/ per serving.

Trans fats/ are often called/ partially hydrogenated fats. They form/ when hydrogen/ is added to liquid oils and fats/ to make them/ solid. Trans fats/ make foods/ last longer.

But they increase the level/ of low-density lipoprotein, known as bad cholesterol, in the blood. High levels of LDL/ can increase the risk/ for heart disease.

The use of trans fats/ expanded/ because of worries/ about saturated fats. Saturated fat/ also raises bad cholesterol. So is one fat/ worse than the other?

James Cleeman/ is coordinator/ of the cholesterol education program/ at the National Institutes of Health. Doctor Cleeman says/ gram for gram, both raise LDL levels/ about the same. But he points out/ that American adults/ on average/ get more than four times/ as much saturated fat/ in their diet/ as trans fat.

Trans fats, though, also lower the level of HDL, high-density lipoprotein -- so-called good cholesterol. Saturated fats/ do not.

Doctor Cleeman says/ lower levels/ of good cholesterol/ have been linked/ to increased risk/ for heart disease/ in the population/ as a whole. But for an individual, he says, lowering good cholesterol/ by eating trans fat/ has not been shown/ to increase the risk.

Other cities/ may also ban trans fats. A measure/ proposed in Chicago/ has been awaiting further action.

The New York Board of Health/ also wants menus/ in fast-food places/ to now list the number of calories/ in foods. The idea/ is to help people/ make wiser choices. Public health officials say/ two out of three Americans/ are overweight.

But the National Restaurant Association/ calls the actions/ in New York/ misguided social engineering. And it says/ the ban/ raises serious legal concerns.

The group notes/ that many restaurants/ have recently announced/ they are moving away/ from using trans fat. And it says/ without much time to change, many/ will have no choice/ but to use oils/ high in saturated fats.

Some people/ see the ban/ as an attack/ on freedom of choice. They say/ food inspectors/ should worry more/ about dangers/ like E. coli bacteria.