Rafael Monge-Rojas1, Uriyoán Colón-Ramos2, Enrique Jacoby3, Thelma Alfaro1, Maria das Graças Tavares do Carmo4, Salvador Villalpando5, Claudio Bernal6. 1. 1Costa Rican Institute for Research and Education on Nutrition and Health (INCIENSA),Ministry of Health,Tres Ríos,Costa Rica. 2. 2Department of Global Health,Milken Institute School of Public Health,George Washington University,Washington, DC,USA. 3. 3Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization,Washington,DC,USA. 4. 4Instituto de Nutrição Josué de Castro,Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro,Rio de Janeiro,Brazil. 5. 5Centro de Investigación en Nutrición y Salud, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública,Cuernavaca,Mor,México. 6. 6Cátedra Bromatología y Nutrición, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas,Universidad Nacional del Litoral,Santa Fe,Argentina.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess progress towards the elimination of trans-fatty acids (TFA) in foods after the 2008 Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) recommendation of virtual elimination of TFA in Latin America. DESIGN: A descriptive, comparative analysis of foods that were likely to contain TFA and were commonly consumed in four cities in Latin America. SETTING: San José (Costa Rica), Mexico City (Mexico), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Buenos Aires (Argentina). SUBJECTS: Foods from each city were sampled in 2011; TFA content was analysed using GC. TFA of selected foods was also monitored in 2016. RESULTS: In 2011-2016, there was a significant decrease in the content of TFA in the sampled foods across all sites, particularly in Buenos Aires (from 12·6-34·8 % range in 2011-2012 to nearly 0 % in 2015-2016). All sample products met the recommended levels of TFA content set by the PAHO. TFA were replaced with a mixture of saturated and unsaturated fats. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate a virtual elimination of TFA from major food sources in the cities studied. This could be due to a combination of factors, including recommendations by national and global public health authorities, voluntary and/or mandatory food reformulation made by the food industry.
OBJECTIVE: To assess progress towards the elimination of trans-fatty acids (TFA) in foods after the 2008 Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) recommendation of virtual elimination of TFA in Latin America. DESIGN: A descriptive, comparative analysis of foods that were likely to contain TFA and were commonly consumed in four cities in Latin America. SETTING: San José (Costa Rica), Mexico City (Mexico), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Buenos Aires (Argentina). SUBJECTS: Foods from each city were sampled in 2011; TFA content was analysed using GC. TFA of selected foods was also monitored in 2016. RESULTS: In 2011-2016, there was a significant decrease in the content of TFA in the sampled foods across all sites, particularly in Buenos Aires (from 12·6-34·8 % range in 2011-2012 to nearly 0 % in 2015-2016). All sample products met the recommended levels of TFA content set by the PAHO. TFA were replaced with a mixture of saturated and unsaturated fats. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate a virtual elimination of TFA from major food sources in the cities studied. This could be due to a combination of factors, including recommendations by national and global public health authorities, voluntary and/or mandatory food reformulation made by the food industry.
Entities:
Keywords:
Food samples; Latin America; Trans-fatty acids