Even today, in this age of science and technology, our societies are not free from these catastrophes. The contemporary model of development may be qualified by the term ‘toxic’ as we first pollute and then think of cleaning up. We first industrialise, then chemicalise our food, eat unhealthy junk and then think of going to the gym to exercise, or eat organic.
On 25 September 2025, heads of States and Governments will meet at the UN General Assembly to set a new vision for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). The draft resolution, released in May this year, is currently under review by member-states. Buried within the 10-page document is a call for ‘eliminating Trans-Fatty Acids (TFAs)’ in processed food and beverages ~ a provision that raises concerns among agriculture and livestock experts, scientists, animal health officials and, above all, food processors in several countries. Fat forms an important component of a healthy diet and serves several functions in the body.
It is a concentrated source of energy, yielding more than twice the energy supplied by carbohydrates per unit weight. Presence of fat in the diet is important for the absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K and especially carotenoids (pro-vitamin A). Fats reduce the bulk of diets, improve the palatability and give a satiety value, i.e. a feeling of fullness in the stomach; and energy during starvation and illness. Apart from these functions, some fats, particularly those derived from vegetable sources, provide what are called ‘essential fatty acids’ (EEAs) which are important for the structures and functions of cells. Indeed, there is some confusion in using the terms ‘fats’.
The housewife, when she goes to buy butter, margarine or lard, has a clear idea of what she means by fat. Biochemists, to be more precise, have coined a term ‘Lipid’ that covers a broad group of water insoluble organic compounds including the housewife’s fat. Chemists use the term ‘fat’ in a restricted sense to mean ‘neutral fats’ which are mixtures of fatty acids and glycerol. The term ‘oil’ is applied indiscriminately both to liquid, digestible triglycerides (such as rapeseed oil, coconut oil, olive oil etc.) and to indigestible mineral hydrocarbons (such as liquid paraffins).
Digestible fats and oils are both lipids, but they differ in their physical state at room temperature. Fats are typically solid, while oils are liquid at room temperature. Both are composed of molecules made of triglycerides caused by esterification of fatty acids, both saturated and unsaturated, to glycerol. Saturated fatty acids predominate in animal fats which are solid at room temperature, and unsaturated fatty acids dominate in vegetable oils which are liquid. However, in this write-up the word ‘fat’ would be used in the housewife’s sense when referring to the fat content in foods and diets.
Apart from the added or visible fat, some amount of fat is present in cereals, pulses, oilseeds, milk, egg, meat etc. This invisible fat is believed to contribute significantly to the total fat and EFA content of diets depending upon foodstuffs present in the diets. All have a similar chemical structure: a chain of carbon atoms bonded to hydrogen atoms. What makes one fat different from another is the length and shape of the carbon chain and number of hydrogen atoms connected to carbon atoms.
Seemingly, slight differences in structure translate into crucial differences in form and impacts on the health of the consumer. The word ‘saturated’ refers to the number of hydrogen atoms surrounding each carbon atom. The chain of carbon atoms holds as many carbon atoms as possible; it’s saturated with hydrogen atoms. A diet rich in saturated fats consisting of saturated fatty acids (SFA) can drive up total cholesterol, and increase the level of harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol which prompts blockage in the arteries of the heart and elsewhere in the body.
However, the risk of heart disease can be minimized by replacing saturated fat with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, consisting of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) respectively. While monounsaturated fats have a single carbon to carbon double bond, polyunsaturated fats have two or more double bonds in its carbon to carbon chain. Table A published alongside shows the most common sources of three types of fats mentioned herein above.
The worst type of dietary fat is the kind known as trans-fat. Trans-fat is a type of unsaturated fat. Stereo chemically, trans-fats are defined by the trans-configuration of their double bonds, meaning the hydrogen atoms (or other substituents) are on opposite sides of the double bond. Early in the 20th century, trans-fats were found mainly in solid margarines and vegetable shortening. As food makers learned new ways to use partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (known as Vanaspati) they began to appear in everything from commercial cookies and pastries to fast-food French fries.
Even naturally-occurring trans-fats are found in animal-sourced products like milk, meat and cheese. Trans-fatty acids (TFAs) are released from trans-fats in our digestive system and readily absorbed in the small intestines. In the liver they are processed into harmful VLDL and LDL and released into the blood. It has been reported that TFAs, like other fatty acids, enter all the metabolic pathways, such as bi-conversion, oxidation and lipid storage. Moreover, they interfere with the metabolism of essential PUFA and influence the function of multiple cell types.
Eating food rich in trans-fats creates inflammation which is linked to heart diseases, stroke, diabetes and other chronic conditions. They contribute to insulin resistance, which increases the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Even small amounts of trans-fats can harm health: for every two per cent of calories from trans-fat consumed daily, the risk of heart disease rises by 23 per cent. Table B shows the most common sources of trans-fats in our foods.
TFAs are formed either naturally in animals or industrially by hydrogenating oils to make them more solid, increase their shelf life, and for creating texture for foods like margarine and baked goods. TFAs are also formed when cooking oils are used multiple times, both in commercial kitchens and households, as per the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India. WHO claims that industrially produced and naturally occurring TFAs are equally harmful.
Denmark was a pioneer in setting a 2 per cent maximum for artificial TFAs in all oils and fats in 2004. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initiated a process to phase out artificial trans-fats from the food supply, leading to a significant reduction in their consumption. India is also implementing a phase-out of TFAs rather than an immediate ban, through regulations by the FSSAI. The authority has also launched a voluntary ‘Trans-Fat Free” logo to identify products with low TFA levels.
Studies in countries that implemented bans, such as Denmark, have shown an association with reduced cardiovascular mortality rates. Indeed, better food labelling has also contributed to a sharp decline in TFA consumption. There are recommendations from the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americas: (1) Consumer should get no more than 25 to 30 per cent of daily calories from fats; (2) Consumer should limit SF to less than 10 per cent of daily calories, and (3) Customers should use nutrition fact labels to select foods with no trans-fat whenever possible.
A blanket ban on all foods having TFAs would have detrimental effects on the nutritional status of health of the population at large, with the most potentially serious ramification for infants who require a variety of fatty acids for growth and development. People would be deprived of the nutritional benefits of products such as dairy and meat. These are rich sources of high-quality protein, iron, zinc, iodine, calcium, vitamins D, B12, A and Riboflavin.
Children who drink milk daily grow, on average, three per cent more than those who don’t. So we need to be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater in pursuit of a very important objective. Four independent strategies may be adopted to limit trans-fats intake:
(1) Health care providers should advise their clients about how to minimize their intake;
(2) consumers should learn to recognize and avoid products containing trans-fats;
(3) restaurants and food manufacturers should use alternate fats in food production and preparation; and
(4) local, state, and national government agencies should aid these efforts by enforcing legislation that limits trans-fats use. These steps should help reduce the consumption of TFAs. Above all, development of new TFA-free products require intensive R&D. in the words of former US President John F. Kennedy: “Our problems are man-made ~ therefore, they can be solved by man.”
(The writer is a retired IAS officer)