Page 55 - Spring2008

Know Your Fats
THE CANADIAN REPORT ON TRANS FATTY ACIDS
By Mary G. Enig, PhD

The Canadian Trans Fat Task Force was The Task Force’s report expressed con-
formed in early 2005 to provide the Canadian cerns that “reducing the dietary intake of trans
Minister of Health with recommendations and fats could have a negative impact on Canadian
strategies to effectively eliminate or reduce pro- production and processing of canola and soybean
cessed trans fats in Canadian foods to the lowest oils. This is because some of these oils are par-
level possible. The Task Force was co-chaired by tially hydrogenated and thus contain trans fats.
Health Canada and the Heart and Stroke Founda- Removal of these oils from the market could
tion of Canada, which submitted their 120-page decrease vegetable oil processing in Canada and
report in June of 2006. potentially weaken oilseed production.”

INDUSTRY INFLUENCE MAJOR STRATEGY
The report provides a good look at the While forced to admit that trans fats are
strategies the vegetable oil and food processing bad, the food processing and oilseed industries
industries have developed in order to maintain are determined to prevent a wholesale switch
market share and profits in the teeth of mount- from vegetable oils to saturated animal fats; and

ing evidence that trans fats pose serious health they succeeded in imposing this strategy on the
problems. The food manufacturing and food committee’s deliberations by limiting discussion
service sectors as well as the oil seed producers of the health effects to the very narrow parameters
and processors were heavily represented on the of cholesterol values.
Task Force, including representatives from the The Task Force provides a summary of
Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors, Bunge these biases and assumptions on page one of
Canada, the Baking Association of Canada, their report: “There is a signifi cant and growing While forced
Centre for Science in the Public Interest, the body of evidence linking trans fats to coronary
Vegetable Oil Industry, Canada Bread, and the heart disease indicating trans fats may do even to admit that
Canadian Restaurant and Food Services Associa- more harm than saturated fats. Metabolic studies, trans fats are
tion. In addition, the Task Force heard testimony for instance, show that trans fats increase blood bad, the food
from representatives of Pepsico, Cargill, Archer levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and decrease
Daniels Midland, Monsanto, Dow AgroSciences blood levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol. Both processing
Canada, and the Canola Council of Canada. effects are strongly associated with increased and oilseed
(The Canadian Meat Council and the Dairy coronary heart disease. Saturated fats are thought industries are
Farmers of Canada also testified. Both groups to be less damaging because they elevate both

limited their comments to the defense of the small the “bad” and “good” types of cholesterol. Epi- determined
amounts of trans fats in meat and butter but failed demiological data also point to a greater risk of to prevent
to mount a defense of saturated fats.) coronary heart disease from increases in dietary a wholesale
In addition, the leaders of the Task Force trans fats than from increases in dietary saturated
specifically held consultation with industry “to fats.” switch from

build a better understanding of industry issues Thus, in considering the health effects of vegetable oils
and concerns pertaining to the reduction and ef- trans and saturated fats, the committee limited to saturated
fective elimination of industrially produced trans their consideration to the arbitrary surrogate
fats.” endpoints of LDL, HDL and total cholesterol. animal fats.
SPRING 2008 Wise Traditions 55