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The Food and Drug Administration is proposing measures that would all but eliminate artificial trans fats.
The artery clogging substance that is used in many foods and food preparation is a major contributor to heart disease in the United States.
Lobbyists have long opposed such a move by Washington, although it is a major problem for causing health problems for many Americans.
The agency would declare that partially hydrogenated oils, the source of trans fats, were no longer "generally recognized as safe."
Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg, the agency's commissioner, said the rules could prevent 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths from heart disease each year.
The long-lasting fats became popular in frying and baking and in household items like margarine, and were cheaper than animal fat, like butter.
Scientific evidence has shown they are worse than any other fat for health because they raise the levels of so-called bad cholesterol and can lower the levels of good cholesterol.
The fats still lurk in many popular processed foods, such as microwave popcorn, certain desserts, frozen pizzas, margarines and coffee creamers.
Thousands of restaurants still use trans fats for cooking.
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