The Minister of Health writes elsewhere in this issue about a strategy aimed at the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases. Although, admittedly, there is so much to do in this regard, it would not be amiss for the Maltese health authorities, even as a follow-up to the minister's comments, to say whether they have any plans to restrict or ban products containing trans-fats, an issue that, over the past days, came to the fore in the UK.
Trans-fats are unsaturated cheap vegetable oils and fats. These low-cost fats can be hydrogenated by heating natural vegetable fats, such as soya or palm oil, then bubbling hydrogen through them. The process turns these originally liquid oily substances into dense, waxy solids that bind food, make food taste better and prolong the shelf life of processed foods while reducing refrigeration requirements.
People who consume foods containing high quantities of hydrogenated fats, also found in margarines, pastry, ready meals, etc, are more likely to put on weight more quickly around the stomach, an area where even small deposits can accelerate ill health, than if they were to consume naturally occurring fats. Trans-fats contribute to accelerated heart disease and atherosclerosis, weight for weight and calorie for calorie, when compared with natural animal fats.
Partially-hydrogenated vegetable oils ("Franken-fat") contain fatty acid molecules with hydrogen atoms arranged diagonally rather than symmetrically and this "trans" shape baffles the human body, stiffening cell membranes that should stay flexible and permeable and blocking messages to and from the brain by adhering to nerve sheaths.
After several scientific studies highlighted the dangers of these fats, supermarkets in Britain began to withdraw products containing them but the substances remain present in many popular processed foods.
Trans-fats also occur naturally, although to a very limited extent in trace amounts in meat and dairy products. Unlike other dietary fats, trans-fats are not essential, so one can do without them.
In the UK alone it is estimated that a one per cent reduction in consumption of these types of fats would prevent 11,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths annually.
While most people inadvertently consume less than the maximum recommended daily amount of trans-fats, those with little disposable income or with poor education may opt for cheap foods with high trans-fat content, increasing their risk of disease. This is therefore a major health inequalities issue.
Trans-fats have also been implicated as increasing the risk of Alzheimer's disease, certain cancers, diabetes, obesity, liver disease and female infertility.
Consumers should be urged to choose vegetable oils (except coconut and palm kernel oils) and soft margarines (liquid, tub, or spray) because the amounts of saturated fat, trans-fat and cholesterol are lower than the amounts in solid shortenings, hard margarines and animal fats, including butter. They should opt for fish as most are lower in saturated fats than meats. Moreover, some fish, such as mackerel, sardines, and salmon, contain omega-3 fatty acids, which are beneficial. Lean meats, such as poultry (without the skin and not fried) and lean beef and pork, not fried, with visible fat trimmed are healthy choices too.