TRANS-FATS ACTION MORE DAMAGING TO CELLS THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT - STUDY

A research team, led by associate professor Takuya Noguchi and professor Atsushi Matsuzawa, from Tohuku University, Japan suggests that trans-fatty acids (TFAs) promote cell death without increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS), contradicting previous explanations, a news report from FoodNavigator.com said last month.  The team believes this step is bypassed as TFAs appear to boost extracellular energy levels, which activate two enzymes that go on to promote cell death in a series of chain reactions.  The researchers also found that the TFAs elaidic acid, linoleic acid and trans-vaccenic acid all played a significant role in promoting cell death. 

With these findings, food manufacturers could gain deeper insights into how TFAs function, which could lead to the development of less damaging versions that could reduce their need in food.  TFA intake has been linked to the rising tide of cardiac complications and obesity, particularly in industrialised nations.  Previous studies have shown that a ban of TFAs in diets could reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes and could potentially prevent thousands of deaths.  Thus many European countries have introduced legislative limits on trans-fat, including Denmark, Switzerland and Iceland.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that intake of TFAs should be “as low as possible” and should be  less than 1% of total energy intake.  This equates to no more than 2 grams of trans-fat per day for a person requiring 2000 calories. Industrially produced trans-fat can comprise up to 60% of a product’s fat content, according to WHO, and is commonly found in pies, hash browns, chicken nuggets and pastries.