Five-year plan

WHO doctors have declared war on trans fats, including margarine

Sergey Vasiliev, Naked Science

The World Health Organization (WHO) has presented a plan for a step-by-step and complete phase-out of the production of unsaturated trans fats by 2023. The project, designated by the abbreviation REPLACE, is long overdue – although the five-year deadline for its execution looks too ambitious.

At the end of the XIX century, chemists discovered that unsaturated carboxylic acids from cheap vegetable oils can be hydrogenated, turning into solid fat. Such affordable products have become very widely used in cooking: they are added to margarine and mayonnaise, baking powder and pastries, used in the preparation of fast food and snacks. They extend the shelf life of many food products. However, if natural fats contain only very small amounts of trans fats, much more of them are formed in chemical hydrogenation products.

Meanwhile, numerous studies year after year have shown the danger of trans fats for the body. According to WHO, only a very small amount of these substances can be called harmless, increased consumption increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases by 21 percent, and the overall risk of premature death by 28 percent. Trans Fats have been associated with inflammatory processes and atherosclerosis. It is estimated that about half a million deaths a year are caused by the consequences of excessive consumption of trans fats.

It is not surprising that the regulatory authorities of many developed countries (say, Denmark) or local authorities (for example, in New York) have already taken measures restricting the production and use of trans fats. WHO plans to spread this practice around the world, and the REPLACEMENT plan announced by the organization includes six steps.

1. Review and analysis of the production and use of synthetic trans fats and opportunities for changing the policy of their regulation.
2. Promote the replacement of trans fats with healthier alternatives.
3. Legislative consolidation (Legislate) of restrictions on the use of trans fats.
4. Assessment and monitoring of trans fat content throughout the food chain.
5. Create awareness among politicians, businessmen and the general public about the negative impact of trans fats.
6. Introduction of legislative restrictions (Enforce).

We should add that, according to WHO recommendations, the content of unsaturated trans fats in the diet should not exceed one percent of the daily energy consumption.

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