Fatty Acids And Health

Fatty Acids And Health

Growing consumer and media interest in the link between consumption of trans fatty acids (TFAs) and adverse health outcomes could distract New Zealanders from considering their intake of saturated fats, says NZFSA's Jenny Reid, assistant director (Joint Food Standards).

A review of TFAs in the New Zealand food supply, just published by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), states that New Zealanders get just 0.7% of their daily kilojoules from TFAs; Australians are just below at 0.6%. "These are well below the 1% recommended by WHO," says Jenny.

"New Zealanders' consumption of saturated fat is a far bigger concern than TFAs. We get over 15% of our energy from saturated fat, exceeding the 8-10% recommended by the World Health Organisation. It's a far bigger culprit in terms of risks to our overall health."

Foods high in saturated fat include fatty cuts of meat, bacon, sausages, coconut, full cream dairy products, some baked items and pastries.

"For some countries, a reduction in TFAs has led to an increase of saturated fats in the food supply, which is a negative result. We would not want the TFA debate to distract consumers from considering their saturated fat intake."

Low levels of TFAs are found naturally in dairy products and some meat. Artificial TFAs are formed when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil. Manufacturers use the process, known as hydrogenation, to boost the shelf life of some baked and fried foods. TFAs are often found in spreads such as margarine, cooking fats used for deep frying, and shortening for baking.

A diet high in frozen meals, pies, crackers, biscuits, chips, muffins, doughnuts, snack bars, butter or margarine, is likely to contain high levels of TFAs. TFAs raise low density lipoprotein (LDL) or 'bad' cholesterol levels which contribute to the build up of fatty plaque in arteries. They also lower the levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) the 'good' cholesterol.

The FSANZ review advises against any immediate regulatory intervention and favours non-regulatory measures, such as voluntary moves by industry to phase out the use of TFAs and a further review in 2009.

Some countries (including the US, Canada and some parts of Europe where TFAs contribute well above the WHO recommended level) have either placed limits on the amount of TFA allowed in foods or have made labelling of TFA content mandatory.

FSANZ first considered mandatory labelling of TFAs when the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code was developed prior to 2002. The decision not to regulate this area was based on our relatively low intakes.

A fact sheet on TFAs is available on NZFSA's website: www.nzfsa.govt.nz. The FSANZ review is available at www.foodstandards.gov.au.

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