An increasing number of Americans are aware that trans fats are bad for heart health, according to a new survey.

Trans fats are considered to be bad for the heart because they raise your level of bad LDL cholesterol, as well as lowering levels of good HDL cholesterol.

Findings published in the February issue of the Journal of the Dietetic Association reveal that there is an increased general awareness of trans fats, from 84 percent who were familiar with the term in 2006 to 92 percent in 2007.

Meanwhile, the proportion of people who used trans fat information as a basis for making food choices also rose, from 32 percent in 2006 to 37 percent the following year.

However, lead researcher Dr. Robert H. Eckel of the University of Colorado-Denver said more still needs to be done to educate people on the types of foods that typically contain trans fats.

“Overall knowledge, especially regarding food sources of saturated and trans fats, remains relatively low,” the researchers wrote.

In addition to more explicit labeling, increasing the number of health resources and educational programs that focus on supplying this information may be beneficial, they added.