Denny's Corp., a chain of more than 1,500 restaurants worldwide, will eliminate trans fats from menu items as early as the first half of 2007.

The frying oil and margarine used in food preparation will be changed, the Spartanburg, S.C.-based company said Monday.

Trans fats, artificial additives that extend shelf life, can contribute to heart disease.

"If someone orders a chicken-fried steak, we want that to be a trans fat-free product," spokeswoman Debbie Atkins said. Denny's serves about 1 million customers daily, she said.

Peter Gibbons, Denny's vice president of product development, noted that the company is among the first to extend the elimination of trans fats to include margarine products.

Shares of Denny's rose 2 cents to $4.64 in extended trading after the announcement. The stock rose 4 cents to $4.62 in Nasdaq stock market composite trading.

New York City's Board of Health last week decided to require the city's 24,000 food establishments to eliminate the substance in the next 18 months.

The ban is the first in the U.S. to carry fines for restaurants in violation. Tiburon, Calif., adopted a voluntary measure in 2004 to get eateries to use healthier oils.

Restaurants including Taco Bell Corp. and KFC, both units of Yum Brands Inc., have said they would eliminate trans fats.

Burger King Holdings Inc. said it will test healthier alternatives, while Wendy's International Inc. has already cut the additive in its 6,000 U.S. locations.

McDonald's Corp., the world's largest restaurant company, has said it would comply with any ban, although it has had trouble finding a suitable alternative.

Seattle-based Starbucks Corp. has been working to eliminate trans fats from its menu by January.