It's no secret that trans fat is not something people want to put in their bodies.
The partially hydrogenated oils found in shortening or margarine increases shelf life and the flavor of foods, but it also increases your risk of heart disease.
Now the FDA wants to eliminate it from our food supply. Steps in other countries have already been taken.
Most restaurants in our country, including fast food, do not use trans fat. Most eliminated it years ago after they were required to start labeling how much trans fat was in their products.
But banning it leads to more questions for researchers like Dr. Lawerence Rudel with the Wake Forest School of Medicine.
"When you take trans fats out you have to substitute something else that is in," Rudel explained.
Rudel's department has studied fat and oils and its effect on heart disease for over 30 years, and while he agrees trans fat increases the risk of heart disease, he questions what will take the place of Trans Fats.
One oil being put in its place is palm oil. Researchers questions if it's any better for you and companies who harvest it from Asia are coming under fire, accused of exploiting labor, violating human rights and destroying valuable forest for palm plantations.
And with a ban on trans fats many Americans are questioning, "What's next for our food?"
The Centers for Disease Control says avoiding foods with trans fat could prevent 10,000-20,000 heart attacks and 3,000-7,000 coronary heart disease deaths each year.