The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is trying to get straight to the core of a major contributor to heart disease, announcing a plan to virtually eliminate artificial trans fats.

According to the New York Times, the FDA's proposal, announced Thursday, will be open to public comment for 60 days. The proposal would declare the source of trans fats, partially hydrogenated oils, to be considered safe no longer.

To use such ingredients in their food products, a company would have to prove partially hydrogenated oils are safe to consume. As research continues to catch up to trans fats, they are increasingly rejected by many in the scientific community. The Institute of Medicine even declared no amount of trans fat is safe for consumption.

"That will make it a challenge, to be honest," said Michael R. Taylor, deputy commissioner for foods at the FDA.

Trans fats are leading causes behind clogged arteries and ensuing heart diseases. Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg, the agency's commissioner, said she estimated the ban on trans fats could lessen heart attacks by 20,000 and deaths by 7,000 per year.

Trans fats are created when liquid oils are treated with hydrogen gas and made solid, but they became prevalent because they cost less to make products like margarine, as opposed to animal fat in butter.

In 2006, the FDA required food companies to list trans fats on their nutrition facts, causing many to stop using them. In 2007, the FDA required New York City restaurants to cut out trans fats, causing chains like McDonalds to stop using them. Although fats are a necessary part of any diet, trans fats produce what is known as bad cholesterol and can lower levels of the good kind.

Since the early 2000s, the use of trans fats has declined sharply, according to research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Still, they are known to be used and a ban would be the final step in a long process.

"The artery is still half clogged," said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, the CDC's director. "This is about preventing people from being exposed to a harmful chemical that most of the time they didn't even know was there."