TRANS-FAT: THREAT TO OUR

HEALTH
MANVIK JOSHI
 NEWS
“In September 2019, India's apex food regulator proposed a draft to limit trans fats in food products not more than 2%
through an amendment in the Food Safety and Standards ((Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulations.”

“FSSAI said it has limited industrial TFA (trans fatty acids) to not more than 3 per cent in all fats and oils by January
2021 and not more than 2 per cent by January 2022.”

“India joins the club of around 40 countries globally that have already enacted the best practice policies to eliminate
trans fats and would be among the first countries in Asia after Thailand in achieving the best-practice policies in trans fat
elimination.”

“This regulation states that all food products in which edible oils and fats are used as an
ingredient should not contain industrial trans fatty acids more than 2 per cent by mass of the
Total oils/fats present in the product, on and from January 1, 2022.”
 SOME FACTS
 "Research has shown that higher intakes of industrially produced trans fatty acids (more than 1
per cent of total energy intake) are associated with increased risk of high cholesterol and heart
diseases," FSSAI

 According to 2017 estimates, every year more than 1.5 million deaths in India is attributed to
coronary heart disease, of which nearly 5 per cent (71,000) are due to trans fats intake.

 Elimination of industrial TFA has been recognized as one the modifiable risk factors to prevent
heart diseaes.

 "This is especially important in the present scenario, when COVID -19 is adding risk to people
suffering from comorbidities like hypertension, heart diseases, diabetes etc," it added.

 In 2018, the WHO called for elimination of industrially-produced trans fat from the food supply by
2023 and released an action package 'REPLACE' for the same.
 WHAT IS TRANS-FAT?
 “According to the World Health Organization (WHO), trans-fatty acids that are produced industrially are
contained in hardened vegetable fats like margarine and ghee, also in snack food, baked foods, and fried
foods. These foods are used by manufacturers in large quantities due to the longer shelf life than other
fats.” 

 Trans fats are a form of unsaturated fat associated with a number of negative health effects.

Artificial trans fat is created during hydrogenation, which converts liquid vegetable oils into semi-solid
partially hydrogenated oil. Trans fat can also be found naturally in meat and dairy.

 Trans fats are found in two forms — natural, which occur in some animal products and aren’t considered harmful,
and artificial, which are hydrogenated vegetable oils and have serious health consequences.
In trans fatty acids, the two hydrogen atoms near the double bonds are on the opposite sides of the molecule–what
makes them straight and thus more rigid and solid–, while in the regular cis fatty acids they are on the same side,
what makes them more flexible.
 Are natural or ruminant trans fats harmful?

 According to 3 systematic reviews (2006, 2011), there is no association between the intake of natural trans fats
and coronary heart disease. The potential health benefits of conjugated linolenic acid (CLA) found in milk
have not been proven so far.

 Trans fats occur naturally occur in red meat: beef, lamb and veal (up to 2 g/3 oz) and, in smaller amounts (<0.5
g/serving), in pork, poultry, cheese (American pasteurized, cheddar, mozzarella, Mexican quesadilla), milk and
butter.
 Reheating Oils and Formation of Trans Fats

 In few baking and stir-frying experiments, ordinary heating of vegetable oils, like canola oil, to up to
527 °F (275 °C), did not significantly increase the amount of trans fatty acids. It is not only heating but
adding hydrogen to oils in the presence of a catalyst, like nickel, that converts cis unsaturated fats to
trans fats .

 Cooking at relatively low temperatures (325-375° F or 163-191° C) can actually spoil certain oils, such
as extra virgin olive oil, but this is because of formation of free fatty acids, which have a bad taste, and
not due to formation of trans fatty acids.
 Effect of Industrial Trans Fats on Blood Cholesterol Levels

Trans fats increase the blood levels of:

1. Total cholesterol
2. LDL cholesterol and small dense LDL particles but probably not oxidized LDL
cholesterol levels
3. Total/HDL cholesterol ratio
4. Triglycerides
5. Lipoprotein Lp(a)

All of the above changes in blood lipid are associated with increased
risk of coronary heart disease.
 FDA and Trans Fats
 According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation, all foods that contain 0.5 grams or
more trans fat per serving have trans fat listed on the Nutrition Facts labels.

 FDA has also removed trans fats and partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oil from the list of
Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) food ingredients, which means they may become illegal in the
United States in near future.

 On the other hand, partially hydrogenated menhaden oil and partially hydrogenated version of low-erucic-
acid rapeseed oil (LEAR), known as canola oil are still listed as GRAS.
 Trans Fat Ban

 In Europe, trans fats are “nearly banned” in Denmark, Austria, Hungary, Iceland, Norway and
Switzerland. In general, the use of trans fats in Western Europe has declined, while in Eastern Europe
may still be high.

 In the United States, in the New York City and California , trans fats are banned in restaurants.