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Scientific evidence shows trans fat increases the incidence of coronary heart disease. In fact, there is no known safe level of trans fat consumption. While people are becoming increasingly aware of the heart-health risks associated with trans fat, our consumption of saturated and trans fat is very high.

 

 

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An overview of the health implications of identified trans fat alternatives through an assessment of the health benefits and risks of each alternative and an evaluation of the ability of alternatives to meet quality and consumer acceptance needs for various product applications

 

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The American Heart Association has become the first big health group to urge a specific limit on trans fats in the diet — less than 1 percent of total calories — in new guidelines released Monday.

Also for the first time, the organization's dietary guidelines include lifestyle recommendations, including an emphasis on getting exercise and not smoking.


A panel of specialists in nutrition and heart disease reviewed more than 90 studies to update the dietary advice the association released in 2000. The guidelines are for healthy Americans ages 2 and older.


Rather than slavishly counting calories and grams of fat, people should try something simpler: getting in the habit of cooking with healthier oils and balancing calories consumed with calories burned through exercise, said Alice Lichtenstein, a Tufts University nutrition expert who chaired the guidelines panel.


Trans fats, or trans fatty acids such as partially hydrogenated oils, are found in many cookies, crackers, breads, cakes, French fries and other fried foods. They contribute to heart disease risk by raising LDL, or the bad cholesterol.


Avoiding them and keeping a healthy diet is challenging while eating out as much as Americans do, panel members noted.

Last week, a consumer group sued KFC to try to get the company to stop frying its chicken in trans fats. Other fast-food chains also have been pressured to lower such fats.

"Total fat reduction alone is not the only answer. It is important what kind of fat you eat," said Linda Van Horn, a Northwestern University dietitian who helped draft the guidelines.

Among the panel's other recommendations:

  • • Limiting saturated fats to no more than 7 percent of daily calories, down from the 10 percent formerly recommended and the 11 percent most Americans consume. Saturated fats are in meat and dairy products, and in coconut and palm oil.

  • • Getting at least half an hour of exercise a day.

  • • Eating fruits and vegetables (not fruit juices) that are deep in color, such as spinach, carrots, peaches and berries.

  • • Choosing whole-grain, high-fiber foods.

  • • Eating fish, especially oily fish like salmon and trout, at least twice a week. (Children and pregnant women should follow federal guidelines for avoiding mercury in fish.)

  • • Choosing lean meats and trying vegetable alternatives.

  • • Consuming fat-free and 1 percent fat milk and other dairy products.

  • • Minimizing calories from beverages and avoiding ones with added sugars.

  • • Adding little or no salt to foods.

  • • Drinking alcohol in moderation.

 

 

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will"

Choosing the Limits

The Task Force had numerous discussions regarding what level it should recommend as the maximum limit for the trans fat content of foods in Canada. The many factors considered in making this decision are summarized below.

 

  • Evidence regarding the serious health effects of trans fats

  • Evidence on the adverse health effects of trans fats from both observational epidemiology and metabolic studies are consistent and, combined, form a sufficient basis for concluding that trans fats increase the risk of heart disease. It has been estimated that a decrease in trans fat intake of 2% of energy would reduce coronary heart disease risk by 5% or more.

  • Current dietary recommendations regarding trans fats

  • There is no physiological requirement for trans fats - they have no intrinsic health value above their caloric value - and therefore their intake should be as low as possible. As stated above, the World Health Organization recommends that the trans fat intake of daily diets should be less than 1% of energy intake.

  • The unavoidable presence of trans fats in typical diets

  • The majority of trans fat in foods is industrially produced through the partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils. However, small amounts of trans fats (generally 2-5% of the fat content) are naturally present in dairy products and in meat from cows, sheep and other ruminants, and the trans fat content of lamb may be as high as 8%. These trans fats are formed through bio-hydrogenation, that is, bacterial transformation of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in the animals' digestive tracts. It is also difficult to avoid the formation of very small amounts of trans fats (0.2-1% of total fat) during the refining of vegetable oils or when using oils for deep frying at high temperatures over long periods.

  • Industrially produced trans fats versus total trans fats

  • To date only a few studies have attempted to differentiate between the effects on coronary heart disease risk of industrially produced and naturally occurring trans fats and the data are too scarce to be conclusive.

    That said, it should be noted that Canadians' total dietary intake of trans fats has increased dramatically in the past 30 to 40 years because of the proliferation of partially hydrogenated canola and soybean oils and their use in food manufacturing. According to the modelling of trans fat intake conducted by Health Canada, just reversing this trend would reduce trans fat intake to within current dietary recommendations.

    The reduction of industrially produced trans fats from processed food, coupled with consumer adherence to dietary guidelines that emphasize the consumption of lower-fat dairy products and leaner meats, would result in reduced intake of both industrially produced and naturally occurring trans fats as well as saturated fats.

  • Current definition and methodology used for declaring trans fats on product labels

  • The definition of trans fatty acids and the methodology for declaring trans fats on product labels that are being accepted internationally are based on the total amount of trans fats, as defined under Codex, American and Canadian nutrition labelling regulations, not just on industrially produced trans fats.

  • The contribution of low-fat foods to trans fat intake

  • The Task Force briefly discussed whether low-fat foods should be exempted from a trans fat limit; however, it was felt that low-fat foods do not warrant special treatment because they may contribute significantly to trans fat intake. For example, the consumption of six servings of low-fat foods containing 0.5 grams of industrially produced trans fats would result in an intake of 3 grams of trans fat. This would exceed 1% of overall energy intake.

  • The trans fat content of healthier alternatives or Innovation in oil processing to produce healthier alternatives

  • Innovations in oil processing have increased the ability of industry to produce oils and soft, spreadable (tub-type) margarines that contain about 1% (or slightly more) of total fat as trans fat.

    The Task Force also wanted to allow use of all available healthier alternatives, including fully hydrogenated oils interesterified with liquid oils. This contributed to the Task Force's decision to choose a higher limit on the trans fat content of foods than the limit set in Denmark.

    In addition, for some food applications a harder fat is needed. It is possible to produce hard margarines and shortenings containing less than 2% of trans fat by using palm and palm kernel stearin instead of partially hydrogenated oil made from canola or soybean oils. However, other alternatives available in the North American market such as margarines and shortenings made using fully hydrogenated canola and soybean oils contain between 2% and 4% of industrially produced trans fats.

  • The impact of various limits on dietary intake of trans fat

  • The results of the modelling in section 4.4 indicate that if a 2% limit applied to vegetable oils and soft, spreadable margarines and a 5% limit to all other foods, the average trans fat intake would decrease by at least 55% and that most of the industrially produced trans fats would be removed from the Canadian diet.

    While some Task Force members wished to set a limit on the trans fat content of foods other than vegetable oils and soft, spreadable margarines at a lower level than 5%, the results of the modelling demonstrated the limited additional decrease of trans intake that would occur from imposing a limit lower than 5%. This analysis was supported by the Task Force assessment of the Danish experience and by comments during the consultations by the Danish scientific expert.

    Furthermore, according to the Task Force analysis, it would not be easy to apply a lower limit than 5% to foods that contain both industrially produced and naturally occurring trans fats.

  • Feasibility and sustainability

  • While the Task Force was mandated to develop strategies for limiting processed trans fats to the "lowest level possible", it was conscious early in the process of the principles of feasibility and sustainability. There was also a desire to simplify compliance and enforcement, ensure a level playing field between the food manufacturing and food service sectors, and make the recommendations clear and easier to understand. All these factors led the Task Force away from recommending limits with multiple levels or a lower limit with various exceptions.