Post by nishaat on Apr 19, 2010 2:46:40 GMT
The UK Faculty of Public Health has called for the consumption of trans-fats (also know as trans fatty acids) to be virtually eliminated.
Calls to ban trans-fats from all foods in the UK have also been backed by US public health experts.
Trans-fats are solid fats found in margarines, cakes and fast food are already banned in some countries.
An editorial in the British Medical Journal states 7,000 deaths a year could be prevented by a 1% reduction in consumption.
It says that although trans-fats make up 1% of the average UK adult food energy intake - below the 2% advised as a dangerous level - there are sections of the population where intake is far higher and these groups are being put at risk.
In the BMJ article, doctors from Harvard Medical School backed this view and said bans in Denmark and New York City had effectively eliminated trans-fats, without reducing food availability, taste, or affordability.
Heart health
Many studies have shown harmful effects of trans-fats on heart health.
They are used to extend shelf-life but have no nutritional value and, like saturated fats, they raise blood cholesterol levels which increase the risk of coronary heart disease.
The BMJ article also points out there is no evidence that such legislation leads to harm from increased use of saturated fats.
The doctors wrote that based on current disease rates, a strategy to reduce consumption of trans-fats by even 1% of total energy intake would be expected to prevent 11,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths annually in England alone.
