Original Article

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2007) 61, 1004–1010; doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602608; published online 31 January 2007

Consumption of trans fats and estimated effects on coronary heart disease in Iran

Guarantor: D Mozaffarian.

Contributors: DM participated in the conception and design, statistical analysis and data interpretation, manuscript drafting, critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content and approval of the final manuscript for submission.MA participated in the collection of data, critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content, and approval of the final manuscript for submission.HC participated in the collection of data, critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content, and approval of the final manuscript for submission.AH participated in the collection of data, critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content, and approval of the final manuscript for submission.WW participated in the conception and design, data collection and interpretation, critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content, and approval of the final manuscript for submission.

D Mozaffarian1,2,3, M Abdollahi4, H Campos1,2, A HoushiarRad4 and W C Willett1,2,3

  1. 1The Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
  2. 2Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
  3. 3Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
  4. 4The National Nutrition & Food Technology Research Institute, Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran

Correspondence: Dr D Mozaffarian, 665 Huntington Ave, Building 2 Room 315, Boston, MA 02115, USA. E-mail: dmozaffa@hsph.harvard.edu

Received 18 November 2005; Revised 14 November 2006; Accepted 14 November 2006; Published online 31 January 2007.

Top

Abstract

Objective:

 

To investigate the consumption of industrial trans-fatty acids (TFAs) in Iranian homes and the proportion of coronary heart disease (CHD) events in Iran attributable to such intake.

Design, setting and participants:

 

The consumption of industrial TFAs was determined using (1) detailed in-home assessments of dietary intake among 7158 urban and rural households containing 35 924 individuals and (2) gas chromatography to determine TFA contents of the most commonly consumed partially hydrogenated oils. The population-attributable risk for CHD owing to TFA consumption was calculated on the basis of (1) documented effects of TFAs on total:high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in randomized controlled dietary trials and (2) relationships of TFA intake with incidence of CHD in prospective observational studies.

Results:

 

Partially hydrogenated oils were used extensively for cooking in Iranian homes with average per-person intake of 14 g/1000 kcal. TFAs accounted for 33% of fatty acids in these products, or 4.2% of all calories consumed (12.3 g/day). On the basis of total:HDL cholesterol effects alone, 9% of CHD events would be prevented by replacement of TFA in Iranian homes with cis-unsaturated fats (8% by replacement with saturated fats). On the basis of relationships of TFA intake with CHD incidence in prospective studies, 39% of CHD events would be prevented by replacement of TFA with cis-unsaturated fats (31% by replacement with saturated fats). These population-attributable risks may be overestimates owing to competing risks and because not all the fat used for cooking might actually be consumed. If actual TFA consumption were only half as large, the estimated proportion of CHD events prevented by TFA elimination would be 5% on the basis of total:HDL cholesterol effects and replacement with cis-unsaturated (4% for replacement with saturated fats), and 22% on the basis of prospective studies and replacement with cis-unsaturated fats (17% for replacement with saturated fats). These estimates do not include possible additional benefits derived from replacing TFAs with vegetable oils containing n-3 fatty acids.

Conclusions:

 

Intake of TFAs is high in Iranian homes and contributes to a sizeable proportion of CHD events. Replacement of partially hydrogenated oils with unhydrogenated oils would likely produce substantial reductions in CHD incidence.

Sponsorship:

 

National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, USA. National Nutrition & Food Technology Research Institute, Tehran, Iran.

Keywords:

trans-fatty acids, coronary heart disease, diet

Extra navigation

.

naturejobs

  • Postdoctoral Position

    • McGill University
    • Goodman Cancer Centre, McGill University, Cancer Pavilion, 1160 Pine Avenue West, Room 414, Montreal, Quebec , Canada, H3A 1A3

  • Director

    • McGill University
    • Montreal Canada
More science jobs
Post a job for free

natureproducts


ADVERTISEMENT