Trans Levels Drop

Nearly a decade after federally mandated labeling of trans fats on food labels, a new study led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals blood levels of trans-fatty acids in Caucasian U.S. adults decreased by 58% from 2000 to 2009. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, is the first to measure trans fats in human blood.

For the study, CDC researchers measured trans-fatty acids in 229 fasting adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) years 2000 and 2009 to examine trans-fatty acid blood levels before and after FDA’s 2003 regulation, which took effect in 2006, requiring manufacturers of food and some dietary supplements to list the amount of trans-fatty acids on the Nutrition Facts panel of the product label.

CDC studied four major trans fatty acids to provide a reasonable representation of trans fats in blood—elaidic acid, linoelaidic acid, palmitelaidic acid and vaccenic acid. They found the overall decrease in trans-fatty acids was 58%. Specific trans-fat reductions were elaidic acid, 63%; linoelaidic acid, 49%; palmitelaidic acid, 49%; and vaccenic acid, 56%, respectively.

“The 58% decline shows substantial progress that should help lower the risk of cardiovascular disease in adults," said Christopher Portier, Ph.D., director of CDC′s National Center for Environmental Health. “Findings from the CDC study demonstrate the effectiveness of these efforts in reducing blood TFAs and highlight that further reductions in the levels of trans fats must remain an important public health goal."

Portier noted the current study provides information for Caucasian adults only, and additional CDC studies are underway to examine blood trans fatty acids in other adult race/ethnic groups, children and adolescents.

Sources:

·                                 CDC: CDC study finds levels of trans-fatty acids in blood of U.S. white adults has decreased