Informe del Comité Científico de la Agencia Española de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (AESAN) sobre el riesgo asociado a la presencia de ácidos grasos trans en alimentos
[EN]:Nutritional recommendations include a reduction in the intake of saturated fatty acids and trans fatty acids (TFA) as there is sufficient evidence of their relationship with the development of cardiovascular disease. There is not yet any consensus on the definition of TFA. The World Health Organization excludes isomers of conjugated linoleic acid from the definition of TFA whereas some countries and/or agencies usually include them. TFA may occur naturally and can be formed by the catalytic hydrogenation of vegetable oils (CH TFA). Hydrogenation allows semi-solid fats of technological interest to be obtained for the production of various foodstuffs, but TFA are also found naturally in meat and in milk from ruminant animals. It is currently accepted that the adverse effects due to the intake of TFA begin with changes in the profile of serum lipoproteins, although the inflammatory response and the endothelial functions may also be affected. No definitive conclusions have been reached with respect to the threshold concentration of TFA above which adverse effects occur. The risk associated with the consumption of TFA depends on the foods contained in the diet, their TFA content and, mainly, the amount consumed by the individual or the population. In 1995, the European Commission funded the project for the “TRANSFAIR study: Intake of fatty acids in Western Europe with emphasis on TFA” with the aim of assessing the consumption of TFA in 97revista del comité científico nº 12 14 European countries. The mean values varied between the different countries (1.5 to 5.4 g/day) and the study concluded that, in general, the consumption of TFA in Europe was not a cause for concern.In Spain, the intake of TFA was then set at 2.1 g/day. Differences in TFA content were also confirmed even in a single food type, basically due to the industrial process, but also varied depending on the analytical method used. In recent years, the TFA content in foods in Europe has come down, due to modifications in the technological processes for the hydrogenation of oils and the recommendations made by the various competent bodies. Recent studies in our country by the National Food Centre of the Spanish Food Safety Authority to determine the profile of fatty acids in industrial bakery products, cereals, pickles, crisps, biscuits, chocolates, cocoa creams, margarines, pate and stuffed sausages, among others, detected TFA contents generally lower than 1% of the total of fatty acids, in line with the reduction in CH TFA contents in hydrogenated fats as documented in other countries. In products of animal origin analyzed, such as butter and meals prepared with the meat of ruminants, the TFA contents varied between 2% and 3% of the total of fatty acids. Nonetheless, it has now been well established that the intake of CH TFA is associated with an increase in cardiovascular risks, but this effect has not been demonstrated in TFA of natural origin. On the basis of data about Spanish diet and the current TFA contents in food, it can be said that the estimated intakes of CH TFA are lower than those mentioned in the European TRANSFAIR project. The World Health Organization recommends that consumption of TFA should not exceed 1% of the total energy intake; the Food and Drug Administration recommends the lowest possible intake of TFA; and in Europe, some countries in Scandinavia have established their own rules and recommendations (a maximum of 2% of CH TFA in oils and processed fools).
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | artículo biblioteca |
| Language: | Spanish / Castilian |
| Published: |
Agencia Española de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición
2010
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| Subjects: | Alimentos, Grasas, Ácidos grasos trans, Riesgo cardiovascular, Recomendaciones de ingesta, Food, Fats, Trans fatty acids, Cardiovascular risks, Intake recommendations, |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10261/245868 |
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