An exploration of socio-economic and food characteristics of high trans fatty acid consumers in the Dutch and UK national surveys after voluntary product reformulation

Abstract

Trans fatty acids (TFA) increase the risk of mortality and chronic diseases. TFA intakes have fallen since reformulation, but may still be high in certain, vulnerable, groups. This paper investigates socio-economic and food consumption characteristics of high TFA consumers after voluntary reformulation in the Netherlands and UK. Post-reformulation data of adults aged 19–64 was analysed in two national surveys: the Dutch National Food Consumption Survey (DNFCS) collected 2007–2010 using 2*24hr recalls (N = 1933) and the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) years 3&4 collected 2010/11 and 2011/12 using 4-day food diaries (N = 848). The socio-economic and food consumption characteristics of the top 10% and remaining 90% TFA consumers were compared. Means of continuous data were compared using t-tests and categorical data means using chi-squared tests. Multivariate logistic regression models indicated which socio-demographic variables were associated with high TFA consumption. In the Dutch analyses, women and those born outside the Netherlands were more likely to be top 10% TFA consumers than men and Dutch-born. In the UK unadjusted analyses there was no significant trend in socio-economic characteristics between high and lower TFA consumers, but there were regional differences in the multivariate logistic regression analyses. In the Netherlands, high TFA consumers were more likely to be consumers of cakes, buns & pastries; cream; and fried potato than the remaining 90%. Whereas in the UK, high TFA consumers were more likely to be consumers of lamb; cheese; and dairy desserts and lower crisps and savoury snack consumers. Some socio-demographic differences between high and lower TFA consumers were evident post-reformulation. High TFA consumers in the Dutch 2007–10 survey appeared more likely to obtain TFA from artificial sources than those in the UK survey. Further analyses using more up-to-date food composition databases may be needed.

Impact of Austria's 2009 trans fatty acids regulation on all-cause, cardiovascular and coronary heart disease mortality

“…A beneficial effect on sub-groups in Austria might not have been detected in the aggregated data used here. A study using UK and Dutch data showed that women and non-native population tend to be among the top consumers of TFAs and so possibly more sensitive to regulation, while socioeconomic background had no effect 28 …”

Effect of Trans Fatty Acid on Insulin Responsiveness and Fatty Acid Composition of Lipid Species of 3T3-L1 Adipocytes

“…On the other hand, a major industry occurring TFA is elaidate (t9-18:1), which is an artificially produced cis form of unsaturated fatty acids during hydrogenation of vegetable oil and food frying [5]. Therefore, we intake elaidate from shortening, margarine and fried food such as fried potato, snack food and instant noodles [6,7]. It is reported that elaidate as well as vaccenic acid is contained in our blood at approximately 10-30 μM [4,8].…”

Reformulation of Pastry Products to Improve Effects on Health

“…One of major improvements achieved to date is the elimination of trans-fats in margarine, pastries, cakes and biscuits in Europe [ 108 ]. This elimination was made possible through both legislative and voluntary measures.…”