Using Food Labels to Prevent Heart Disease

by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

My mother, an on-again, off-again low-fat, low-cholesterol dieter, rushed up to me in the grocery store one day last year. She was clutching a package of turkey frankfurters. Knowing I'm a registered dietitian, she pointed to the 5 milligrams of cholesterol listed on the package's nutrition panel and said, "Now, tell me: Is this high or low in cholesterol?"

If she had been holding a package with the new Nutrition Facts panel, I wouldn't have had to stand there sputtering and stammering as I did, waiting for the answer to come to me. Instead, I would have quickly referred her to the %Daily Value column on the panel's right side.

There, she would have seen at a glance that a serving of those turkey franks (two of them, about 55 grams) provided only 2 percent of the Daily Value for cholesterol. As a rule of thumb, foods containing 5 percent or less of the Daily Value for a nutrient are low in that nutrient. So, a serving of those franks was low in cholesterol.

Now when my mother and others like her shop for "heart-healthy" foods, they can easily find this information on many products. Regulations requiring it and other labeling changes went into effect for many food products May 1994, and many now carry the new label.

The regulations come from the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. FDA's rules implement the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990.

Besides %Daily Values, consumers will find the new label helpful in other ways. For one thing, nutrition information in bigger, more readable type will be on most packaged foods. It also is available at the point of purchase for many fresh foods, like fruits and vegetables and fish and meat.

Second, the information is more complete. In addition to the amount of calories, fat, carbohydrate, protein, iron, calcium, and vitamins A and C on some labels before, most nutrition labels now must include additional information about saturated fat, cholesterol, fiber, calories from fat, and other dietary components important to today's consumers.

Third, the serving sizes are more realistic and thus more useful.

Fourth, nutrient content claims, like "low cholesterol" and "no saturated fat," can be believed because the claims must follow strict government rules.

Consumers also will be able to trust health claims, which describe the relationship of a food or nutrient to a disease or health condition, such as heart disease. Only claims about which there is significant scientific agreement are allowed.

Fat and Cholesterol

Some of the label information, such as that about fat — particularly saturated fat — and cholesterol, will be of special interest to people concerned about high blood cholesterol and heart disease.

High intakes of saturated fat and cholesterol are linked to high blood cholesterol, which in turn is linked to increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). CHD is the most common form of heart disease and is caused by narrowing of the arteries that feed the heart.

For the general population, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that fat intake be limited to no more than 30 percent of the day's total calorie intake. Saturated fat intake should be limited to no more than 10 percent of the day's calories. The Daily Values used in food labeling follow these same guidelines.

Thus, people eating 2,000 calories a day should limit their daily fat intake to no more than 65 grams (g). (30 percent times 2,000 calories = 600 calories divided by 9 calories/gram of fat = 65 g.) They should limit saturated fat intake to no more than 20 g a day. (10 percent times 2,000 calories = 200 calories divided by 9 calories/gram of fat = 20 g.)

The 2,000-calorie level is the basis on which %Daily Values on the label are calculated. According to Ed Scarbrough, Ph.D., director of FDA's Office of Food Labeling, FDA and USDA chose this level partly because it is a "user-friendly" number that allows for easy adjustments in Daily Value numbers, if consumers want to figure them to their own diet and calorie intakes.

The Daily Value for cholesterol is 300 milligrams (mg). It remains the same whatever the person's calorie intake. FDA and USDA chose this level because it corresponds to the recommendations of other health organizations, such as the American Heart Association, the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Cholesterol Education Program of the National Institutes of Health.

People with severe high blood cholesterol or heart disease may need to limit their saturated fat and cholesterol intakes even further. Camille Brewer, a registered dietitian and nutritionist in FDA's Office of Food Labeling, advises people with specific health problems that require a low-saturated-fat, low-cholesterol diet to see a physician, registered dietitian, or nutritionist first. These professionals can help tailor a diet to a person's specific health needs.

Fiber and Others

A food's fiber content also may be of interest to consumers seeking "heart-healthy" foods. Some studies suggest that dietary fiber — that is, fiber from foods such as fruits, vegetables and grains — may help lower the risk of heart disease.

The Daily Value for fiber is 25 g. This is based roughly on FDA and USDA reference amounts of 11.5 g of fiber per 1,000 calories.

Fiber information is important for weight reduction, too. Overweight is a risk factor for heart disease, and reducing fat while increasing fiber can benefit those who want to lose or maintain their weight.

The reason for fiber's importance, according to FDA's Brewer, is that high-fiber foods tend to be lower in calories because they are mostly carbohydrate and tend to have little, if any, fat. (One gram of carbohydrate and protein each provides 4 calories, while one gram of fat gives 9 calories.)

And, Brewer said, "High-fiber foods take longer to chew and increase the feeling of fullness, which may reduce meal size. Therefore, unless their high-fiber food, like broccoli, is swimming in butter, people are likely to eat fewer calories."

Calorie information also may be important to these individuals.

Consumers interested in "heart-healthy" foods who also have high blood pressure should check the label for information about the food's sodium content, too. High blood pressure is another risk factor for heart disease, and in some people, sodium increases the risk of high blood pressure.

About the Author

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FDA is A United States government body that oversees medical devices, including contact lenses, intraocular lenses, excimer lasers and eyedrops. In the US, these products must be approved by the FDA before they can be marketed.