L9: Trans fatty acids and health

27 important questions on L9: Trans fatty acids and health

What are the 2 ways in which trans fatty acids are created?

- in the bio-hydrogeneration of poly unsaturated fatty acids by ruminent animals (cows, sheep, goats)
- during partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils

What is the difference between trans fats and cis fats?

both have double bound, but with cis there is a kink in the formation of the molecule. With trans fatty acids there is a double bond, but no kink

What do trans fatty acids and unsaturated fats have in common in their proporties?

They are hard fats, they can stack up because they have no kink in molecule
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What are the the 2 main forms of trans faty acids created by ruminant animals?

Vaccenic Acid ( C18:1 ∆11t)
conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)

What does the ∆t mean in the notation of fatty acids?

Counted from the COOH side of the molecule

What is the main form of transfat created by industry?

Elaidic acid (C18:1 ∆9t)

What kind of trans fatty acids are the substantial source of C16:1t?

Ruminant TFA

What is the effect of extra 5g trans fatty acids per day on coronary heart disease?

5 extra grams of trans fatty acids a day is associated with a 25% increase in coronary heart disease risk

What is the evidence of replacing 2 en% of carbohydrate with 2 en% of trans fatty acids on CHD?

Replacing carbohydrate with TFA for 2 en% increases the risk of CHD with 23% in prospecive cohort and retrospective studies

Which outcome is mainly associated with industrial trans fatty acid intake>?

Coronary heart disease

Name 2 sources of trans fatty acids

Beef
butter

What is the 2 conclusions of the Weggemans review study about observational studies industrial and ruminant trans fatty acids on coronary heart disease?

1. In observational studies, high intake of artificial trans fatty acids predicts coronary heart disease
2. Intake of ruminant trans fatty acids is low, association of ruminant trans fatty acids with heart disease in observational studies is unclear

What is the effect on Total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol if you:
Replace industrial trans fatty acids with saturated fatty acids (SAFA)?

Total cholesterol: goes up
LDL cholesterol: goes up
HDL cholesterol: goes up  
So SAFA is worse for total and LDL cholesterol than TFA, but better for HDL cholesterol

What is the effect on Total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol if you:
Replace industrial trans fatty acids with mono and poly unsaturated fatty acids?

Total cholesterol: goes down
LDL-cholesterol: goes down
HDL-cholesterol: goes up
So replacing industrial TFA with unsaturated fatty acids is good for total, ldl and hdl cholesterol

What is the effect on Total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol if you:
Replace industrial trans fatty acids with carbohydrates?

Total: goes down
LDL: goes down
HDL: goes up
So its better to take carbohydrates in stead of industrial TFA for total, ldl and hdl cholesterol

What is the effect on Total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol if you:
Replace ruminant trans fatty acids with saturated fatty acids (SAFA)?

Total: goes up
LDL: goes down
HDL: goes up 

So replacing ruminant FA with SAFA is better for total and hdl cholesterol

What is the effect on Total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol if you:
Replace ruminant trans fatty acids with poly and mono unsaturated fats or carbohydrates?

Total: goes down
LDL: goes down
HDL: goes up
So replacing ruminant FA with unsaturated FA or carbohydrate is better for all cholesterol

What is the overall conclusion on the effect on LDL cholesterol of trans fatty acids?

Industrial and animal trans fatty acids both raise LDL-cholesterol

How was the action taken to remove the amount of trans fat from foods?

The industry took action to remove TFA from foods, there was not legal action from the government

What was denmarks policy on trans fats in foods? What was the effect?

Denmark banned trans fats from foods in 2001.
The amount of trans fats in foods went to almost zero from 2001 to 2005

What is the policy in the USA about trans fats?

In 2013, the FDA made a determination that PHOs (industrialized trans fats) are not generally considered safe anymore.

in 2018 products in grocery stores had to have no PHOs anymore in them. This is the end of a 3 year time to remove them from the products (industry was given 3 years to remove them)

What is the intake of tfa in the netherlands?

age 31-50 y People in the netherlands have a median intake of 0,5 en% trans fats (2007-2010)

What are the guidelines for transfats in the EU/Netherlands?

A maximum limit of trans fat, other than trans fat naturally occuring in animal fat, in food intended for the final consumer is 2 grams per 100 grams of fat

How did the law on transfats in products change in the EU/Netherlands?

In 2015, an open letter from major manufacturers has called on the EU commision to legislate an EU-wide limit for the amount of industrially produced trans fats in foods.

What happens with foods that do not comply to the law of transfats in the EU/Netherlands?

They may not longer be placed in the market

What is the goal of the WHO around trans fats?

The WHO wants to eliminate rtans fats in products around the world by 2023

What is the effect of ruminant trans fat (CLA) and industrial trans fat on HDL, LDL and trig int he wageningen trial?

Ruminant TFA (CLA) and industrial trans fatty acids have similar effects on LDL and HDL.
they do have different effect on TRIG, CLA has less effect on increasing TRIG

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