Trans fatty acids: current contents in Canadian foods and estimated intake levels for the Canadian population.
Research conducted in the mid-1990s indicated that the levels of trans fats in Canadian diets were among the highest in the world. The consumption of trans fats raises blood levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, while reducing levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol. In June 2007, Health Canada called on the food industry to voluntarily reduce levels of trans fats in vegetable oils and soft (tub)-margarines to < 2% of total fat, and in all other foods, to < 5%. Industry must show satisfactory progress by June 2009, or Health Canada might have to introduce legislation to ensure that recommended limits are achieved. Since 2005, Health Canada has been performing a national assessment of prepackaged and restaurant foods that likely contain trans fats. From 2005 to 2009, 1120 samples were analyzed, of which 852 or approximately 76% met the recommended trans fat limits. As a result of reformulation, most of the products had decreased trans + saturated fat content. The estimated average intake of trans fatty acids (TFA) in Canada significantly dropped from the high value of 8.4 g/day in the mid-1990s to 3.4 g/day (or 1.4% food energy) in 2008. However, this TFA intake of 1.4% of energy is still above the World Health Organization recommended limit of TFA intake of < 1% of energy, which suggests that the Canadian food industry needs to put more effort into reducing the TFA content in its products, especially in tub-margarines, donuts, and bakery products.
Ratnayake
W M Nimal
WM
Health Canada, Health Products and Food Branch, Bureau of Nutritional Sciences, 251 Sir Frederick Banting Dr, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1A 0K9. nimal_ratnayake@hc-sc.gc.ca
L'Abbe
Mary R
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Farnworth
Sara
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Dumais
Lydia
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Gagnon
Claude
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Lampi
Brian
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Casey
Valerie
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Mohottalage
Dayani
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Rondeau
Isabelle
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Underhill
Lynne
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Vigneault
Michele
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Lillycrop
William
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Meleta
Mary
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Wong
Lynn Y
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Ng
Tran
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Gao
Yu
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Kwong
Keri
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Chalouh
Shirley
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Pantazopoulos
Peter
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Gunaratna
Hasantha
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Rahardja
Adeline
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Blagden
Richard
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Roscoe
Veronica
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Krakalovich
Thomas
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Neumann
Gary
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Lombaert
Gary A
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D002170:Canada; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000378:metabolism; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000378:metabolism; D004032:Diet; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005504:Food Analysis; D019649:Food Industry; D005515:Food Labeling; D006801:Humans; D006865:Hydrogenation; D008383:Margarine; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D010938:Plant Oils; D044242:Trans Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism*
D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D004041:Dietary Fats; D010938:Plant Oils; D044242:Trans Fatty Acids; D008383:Margarine