NYC Mayor Bloomberg Photographed Eating Cheeze-Its

This headline would make no sense it were not for Bloomberg's infamous crusade against the evils of trans-fat, which the Heath Department claims kills 0.000625% of New York City's population every year. Instead of paragraphs of my poorly-written commentary, read the article (via Michelle Malkin)

The mayor's food choice directly counters the guidance of his own Department of Health, which specifies on its Web site that "there is no safe level of artificial trans fat consumption." The site also points out that trans fats are responsible for at least 500 deaths in the city every year from heart disease.

That should be cautious news for Bloomberg, who in 2000 had a pair of stents inserted in his coronary artery to remove a blockage. The mayor says he takes a baby aspirin daily to reduce the risk of heart attack.

"The mayor is in favor of labeling and making informed choices," said Bloomberg spokesman Jason Post, who also pointed out that a reduced-fat version of Cheez-Its contains less trans fat. It's unclear which variety sits on the mayor's desk in the photograph.

"Trans fats cause heart attacks," said Julie Greenstein, deputy director of health promotion policy for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington, D.C., lobbying group that advocated the ban in the city. "Trans fats raise bad cholesterol and decrease good cholesterol."

Greenstein said even small amounts of trans fats in the diet can add up and cause big problems over time.

"If someone is concerned about heart health, he should cut out trans fat completely," she said.

Bloomberg on trans fats

"You're getting an ingredient out that nobody is going to miss." September 2006, regarding the ban on trans fats