Since Nature Network Boston is all about the Boston scientific scene, I think it’s good to think about how all the non-stop science/health news about trans fat really affects us here at home.

So, when I thought about what makes the trans fat issue a truly local one, I thought about one of my long-time favorites:

Dunkin’ Donuts.

Yes, if you’d like an example of how the trans fat issue affects you right here in New England, every time you walk by a Dunkin’ Donuts, and every time you buy and eat a donut, think about this:

The old fashioned cake donut? 4 grams of trans fat!
The powdered cake donut? Ditto
The chocolate frosted donut? Ditto +1

In fact, just about every donut has from 2.5 to 5 grams of trans fat.

I’m not sure if Dunkin’ lists nutritional information in the stores—I’ve never seen anything along these lines—but all this info is available on the company’s website (see here). It’s really great that the company posts this information online, but it’d be even more effective (though bad for business, I’m sure) if it was displayed on big posters by each cash register, just as the customer is about to plop down some cash for some Munchkins (by the way, 4 powdered cake munchkins have 4 grams of trans fat, ie., one munchkin=1 gram of trans fat). Considering that it’s impossible to eat only 4 munchkins, the tiny little creatures seem even more dangerous than their bigger and brawnier cousins known as donuts.

In any event, considering all we know about trans fat, had I seen easily visible displays of this nutritional information, I would have stopped eating the donuts and munchkins a long time ago, and won’t eat them again, until Dunkin’ finds a trans fat substitute. To see what donut makers may or may not be doing to address the issue, see this article. It notes that Dunkin’ has been experimenting with 22 different oils, to find a trans fat replacement. Wow!

The bottom line is simple: stick with the bagel (a plain bagel with cream cheese? Zero trans fat).