In recent years, trans-fats have risen to the top of the food-and-health agenda. A number of studies have linked trans-fats to coronary heart disease and, as a consequence, food manufacturers, governments and consumers are increasingly concerned about trans-fats: what they are, which foods they appear in and how consumption of them may affect health.

Trans-fats: a brief history

About 100 years ago the discovery was made that liquid oils could be converted to solid fats (which were more useful in food manufacture) by a procedure called hydrogenation. As hydrogen was added to liquid unsaturated oil it gradually became a solid saturated fat (also called a hydrogenated fat).

After the Second World War the process for making hydrogenated and hardened fats from cheaper sources of vegetable oils was widely adopted. Margarines were developed and marketed as alternatives to butter, and vegetable shortenings increasingly replaced the animal fats in cooking.

As early as 1975 a group of scientists led by Mr Leo Thomas at what is now the University of Glamorgan in South Wales suspected that eating partially hydrogenated fats had a connection with death from coronary heart disease. The suspected link between the consumption of trans-fats and this illness was subsequently investigated at the Harvard School of Public Health in the US. It is now generally accepted that trans-fats are actually worse for the health than the saturated animal fats they were designed to replace.

Food-labelling and trans-fats

There has been increasing acceptance by governments that the risks to consumers of eating trans-fats in quantity cannot be ignored. In 2003 Denmark became the first country to introduce laws to control the sale of foods containing trans-fats. In the same year, Canada required that the presence of trans-fats be shown on food labels, and in the following year the Canadian government essentially banned the use of trans-fats in food altogether.

In January 2006 it became law in the US that the content of trans-fats has to be specifically listed on food labels. There is a complication to this, however, because foods containing less than 0.5g of trans-fats per serving can be labelled as being free from them. Furthermore, the regulations only apply to food labels: food sold in restaurants and canteens are not covered by this law.

However, in December 2006 New York City’s Board of Health ‘banned’ many trans-fats from the city’s restaurants, prompting similar moves in Philadelphia, Montgomery County in Maryland, and the Boston suburb of Brookline. The first phase of the regulation applies to oils, shortening and margarines used in cooking and as spreads, in recipes that contain more than a half-gram of trans-fat per serving.

The second phase, in July 2008, extended the ban to include trans-fats used in bread and cakes, prepared foods, salad dressings and oils used for deep-frying or in dough or cake batter. Similar ‘bans’ are being proposed in a growing number of cities, towns and states across the US.

What are trans fats?

Trans fats (or trans fatty acids) are created in an industrial process that adds hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid.  Another name for trans fats is “partially hydrogenated oils.”  Look for them on the ingredient list on food packages.

Why do some companies use trans fats?

Companies like using trans fats in their foods because they’re easy to use, inexpensive to produce and last a long time.  Trans fats give foods a desirable taste and texture.  Many restaurants and fast-food outlets use trans fats to deep-fry foods because oils with trans fats can be used many times in commercial fryers.

How do trans fats affect my health?

Trans fats raise your bad (LDL) cholesterol levels and lower your good (HDL) cholesterol levels.  Eating trans fats increases your risk of developing heart disease and stroke.  It’s also associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Why did trans fats become so popular if they have such bad health effects?

Before 1990, very little was known about how trans fat can harm your health.  In the 1990s, research began identifying the adverse health effects of trans fats.

What foods contain trans fats? and how do I avoid them?

“In the UK and many other European countries the situation is complicated. Although there is no specific requirement for the labelling of trans-fats on food labels, some manufacturers have started to do so voluntarily. Most of the margarines and vegetable shortenings on supermarket shelves now show the products as being ‘virtually free of trans-fats’; on the other hand products such as cakes and biscuits that include hydrogenated fats in the ingredient lists do not often mention trans-fats. Food manufacturers and suppliers are increasingly turning the absence of trans-fats into a marketing claim for their products. In the UK, in February 2006, Marks and Spencer announced in full page adverts in the national press that they had removed all hydrogenated fats from their ready meals.”

Trans fats can be found in many foods – but especially in fried foods like French fries and doughnuts, and baked goods including pastries, pie crusts, biscuits, pizza dough, cookies, crackers, and stick margarines and shortenings.  You can determine the amount of trans fats in a particular packaged food by looking at the Nutrition Facts label.  You can also spot trans fats by reading ingredient lists and looking for the ingredients referred to as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats or shortenings.  When cooking at home use liquid vegetable oil for frying and only margarines and shortenings that are labelled trans-fat free. If you can check these details with the managers of restaurants or takeaways then even better for you.”

Are there any naturally occurring trans fats?

Small amounts of trans fats occur naturally in some meat and dairy products, including beef, lamb and butterfat.  It isn’t clear; though, whether these naturally occurring trans fats have the same bad effects on cholesterol levels as trans fats that have been industrially manufactured.

How much trans fat can I eat a day?

The American Heart Association recommends limiting the amount of trans fats you eat to less than 1 percent of your total daily calories.  That means if you need 2,000 calories a day, no more than 20 of those calories should come from trans fats.  That’s less than 2 grams of trans fats a day.  Given the amount of naturally occurring trans fats you probably eat every day, this leaves virtually no room at all for industrially manufactured trans fats.

How can I stay within my daily limit for trans fats?

Read the Nutrition Facts label on foods you buy at the store and, when eating out, ask what kind of oil foods are cooked in.  Replace the trans fats in your diet with monounsaturated or  polyunsaturated fats.  For practical tips, learn how to Live Fat-Sensibly.

Foods in Malta that contain Trans fats:

Hopla Golosa e Leggera – Spray Whip Cream

Calve Peanut Butter – Both Crunchy and Smooth

Mill-Kcina taz-Zija (Torta tat-Tigieg)

Kuchenmeister Tiramisu Cafe Venezia 400g

KuchenMeister Herren-Kuchen (Chocolate Cake) 400g

7 Days ‘Bake-it’ Frozen Pastries

Nick The Easy Rider Peanut Butter

Elmlea Single and Double Cream

This is not a complete list, but a growing one, that will hopefully one day inspire the Maltese Government to join the growing list of countries in Banning Trans fats.

Tags: banned, cake, cholesterol, deepfried, diabetes, fast foods, fats, foods, fried, HDL, hydrogenated, kuchenmeister, LDL, mill-kcina, monounsaturated, partially, peanut butter, poison, polyunsaturated, torta, trans, trans fats