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Trans Fatty Acid in Fats and
Oils
By Dr. Narinder Saini M.D.
Danish Nutrition Council concludes that trans fatty acids
are 10 times worse than saturated fat. Due to increasing
evidence that trans fatty acids (as opposed to saturated
fatty acids) carry a risk of up to 10 times more likelihood
of developing coronary heart disease when consumed in
large amounts, the Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture
and Fisheries has announced that from January 1, 2004
the content of trans fatty acids in vegetable oils and
fats used as it is or as part of prepared food products
must not exceed 2 g per 100 g fat.Trans fatty acids can
be found in some natural animal products such as milk
and meat. However, animal trans fatty acids have the trans
double bond in a specific position, which can be metabolized
by human digestive enzymes.
Industrially produced trans double bonds are often in
other positions, which makes these fatty acids unhealthy
for the human digestion system. Consequently, the regulation
does not include animal trans fat. Manufacturers are also
given the possibility of labeling food products ‘free
from trans fatty acids’ if they contain less than 1 g
of trans fat per 100 g fat, as an incentive to lowering
the content of trans fatty acids in food products in Denmark
even further. |
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