Studies released on 4 July 2012 in the international peer-reviewed journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research (MNFR) based in Germany address the effects of foods such as oats, virgin olive oil, and ruminant trans fat on atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. Oats may have antiatherogenic properties An article by Swedish researchers Dr Kristina E. Andersson and Per Hellstrand reinforces that oats are a “heart-healthy” food. Previous studies have convincingly shown that oats can lower... ...Read more »

Researchers from the universities of Navarra and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria have demonstrated that the ingestion of trans fatty acids (also known as trans-fats) and saturated fats increase the risk of suffering depression, and that olive oil, on the other hand, may protect against this condition. The study followed 12,059 SUN Project volunteers over the course of six years; the volunteers had their diet, lifestyle and ailments analyzed at the beginning of the project, over its course and at the end... ...Read more »

A Heart Foundation investigation into margarine and butter has shown that butter has, on average, 20 times the trans fat levels of margarine. “This news will come as a big surprise to many people who choose butter believing that it’s ‘natural’ and therefore healthier – but it simply isn’t the case,” said Susan Anderson, the Heart Foundation’s National Director Healthy Weight “Butter is mostly made of the fat that raises your bad cholesterol levels – saturated fat at... ...Read more »

A University of Missouri research team has developed a soybean which produces oil that is naturally low in saturated and trans fats. The food manufacturing industry has long sought answers to the question of how to produce stable oils for applications such as baking without using hydrogenation. Hydrogenation is a process which stabilises oils, extending shelf life and allowing heating without spoiling. Unfortunately, hydrogenation also produces trans fats, which years of research have proven to clog... ...Read more »

Spain has launched a new law to curb the sale of “junk” food, snacks and drinks in the country’s schools to tackle growing obesity rates, the Health Ministry announced on Friday (September 3). The legislation seeks to promote “healthy” food menus in schools, and will force the food industry to use new technologies to minimise trans-fat content in food products aimed at school children. According to the ministry, 9.13% of kids under 15 are obese and 18.4% are overweight.... ...Read more »

Monsanto has received a status of Generally Recognised As Safe for its new line of low-linolenic-acid Vistive Gold soybeans, giving a green light to food manufacturers and fast food companies for testing of the product. Linolenic acid shortens shelf life and stability of soy oil, requiring partial hydrogenation – the process which produces trans fats – to reduce the acid. Monsanto’s Vistive soybeans, bred with minimal linolenic acid, won’t require this processing. Existing... ...Read more »

Doctors have supported calls for a complete ban of trans fatty acids in food in the UK. Assistant professor Dariush Mozaffarian and Professor Meir J Stampfer, both of the Harvard School of Public Health, emphasised the dangers of eating trans fats, and pointed out that they are not natural to human food intake and can be replaced. “Removing industrial TFAs is one of the most straightforward public health strategies for rapid improvements in health. On the basis of current disease rates, a strategy... ...Read more »

Nestle and Diamond Foods have insisted they are “co-operating” with the US Food and Drug Administration after the regulator publicly attacked them – and 13 other food makers – over their use of “misleading” health claims.The FDA revealed yesterday (3 March) that it had sent 16 warning letters to various food manufacturers, insisting they address concerns that labelling rules are being breached by unsubstantiated health claims. Violations ranged from claims that... ...Read more »

In a report published on Friday, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has shown that intake of trans fatty acids (TFAs) from manufactured sources has declined in the Australian and New Zealand population by 25-40% since 2007. The report has been welcomed by the Australian Food and Grocery Council and has convinced health ministers that regulation is not required at this point in time. FSANZ Chief Scientist Dr Paul Brent said this means that total intake of TFAs is now estimated to be 0.5%... ...Read more »

A decision by the Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council today not to recommend further regulation of trans-fats in foods has been welcomed by the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC). With evidence that dietary intakes of trans-fats have fallen substantially in Australia, a communiqué by the Ministerial Council endorsed a recommendation to retain the current non-regulatory, industry-based approach to reducing trans-fats in foods. AFGC Chief Executive Kate Carnell said... ...Read more »