Trans-fatty acids in cooking oils in Bogota, Colombia: changes in the food supply from 2008 to 2013

Abstract

Objective: Long-chain n-3 fatty acid intake in Colombia is low because fish consumption is limited. Vegetable oils with high n-3 fatty acid content are recommended, but their concentrations of trans fats were high in previous studies. Thus, regular monitoring of the fatty acid composition of vegetable oils is required. Our objective was to quantify the fatty acid composition in commercially available oils in Bogota, Colombia and determine if composition changed from 2008 to 2013. Design: Cross-sectional study. We obtained samples of all commercially available oils reported in a survey of low-and middle-income families with a child participating in the Bogota School Children Cohort. Setting: Bogota, Colombia. Subjects: Not applicable. Results: Sunflower oil had the highest trans-fatty acid content (2·18 %). Canola oil had the lowest proportion of trans-fatty acids (0·40 %) and the highest n-3 fatty acid content (9·37 %). In terms of percentage reduction from 2008 to 2013 in 18 : 1 and 18 : 2 trans-fatty acids, canola oil had 89 % and 65 % reduction, mixed oils had 44 % and 48 % reduction, and sunflower oil had 25 % and 51 % reduction, respectively. Soyabean oil became widely available in 2013. Conclusions: The content of trans-fatty acids decreased in all oils from 2008 to 2013, suggesting a voluntary reduction by industry. We believe that regular monitoring of the fatty acid composition of oils is warranted.

Sociodemographic, Anthropometric, and Dietary Predictors of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Adipose Tissue Among Mesoamerican Children and Their Parents

“…We also found that cooking oil usage predicted LCPUFA status, despite the low levels of preformed LCPUFA typically found in vegetable oils. [38][39][40] This is in line with the results of an intervention study among Colombian families in which soybean or sunflower oil increased whole blood LCPUFA in school-aged children. 14 In our study, canola oil users had among the highest levels of both n-6 and n-3 LCPUFA, despite not having the highest levels of LA and ALA; this could reflect greater conversion of essential PUFA into LCPUFA.…”

“…Some of the associations between specific oils and essential PUFA are expected according to the fatty acid composition of cooking oils in Latin American countries. [38][39][40] Soybean and canola oils are high in ALA, whereas palm oil is low in all n-6 and n-3 PUFA; correspondingly, in our study soybean and canola oil users had among the highest ALA levels, whereas palm oil users had among the lowest levels of all PUFA. The LA content is highest in corn and sunflower oils, [38][39][40] but we observed the highest adipose LA FA% among users of soybean oil.…”

“…38 -40 Soybean and canola oils are high in ALA, whereas palm oil is low in all n-6 and n-3 PUFA; correspondingly, in our study soybean and canola oil users had among the highest ALA levels, whereas palm oil users had among the lowest levels of all PUFA. The LA content is highest in corn and sunflower oils, 38 -40 but we observed the highest adipose LA FA% among users of soybean oil. This is consistent with previous findings from Costa Rica, where use of soybean oil low in trans fatty acids was associated with higher adipose tissue LA levels.…”

Progress towards eliminating industrially produced trans-fatty acids in the Canadian marketplace, 2013–2017

“…<2 % of total fat) (45) . Thus, more work is needed to achieve the WHO recommendation of eliminating trans fats due to their harmful health effect and it is likely that banning the use of PHO would result in a further reduction of TFA, as seen in other countries where similar approaches have been taken (17,33,(74)(75)(76)(77) . Our results also highlight that monitoring the prevalence of HO and their TFA content in foods remains critical to assess unintended consequences, such as substantially higher levels of TFA in foods exceeding recommendations, a phenomenon observed in the present study, and particularly as the current labelling regulations do not require to differentiate between levels of hydrogenation (64) .…”

Grasa y aceites provenientes de la dieta: consideraciones para su consumo en la población colombiana

“…Entre las grasas trans industrializadas se encuentran las adicionadas a los comestibles ultraprocesados, las comidas rápidas, los empaquetados y los aceites de origen vegetal, que frecuentemente se usan para la preparación de diversos alimentos y que para el caso de Colombia, en su mayoría, presentan concentraciones superiores en un 2 % a los recomendados por la Organización Panamericana de la Salud (16). Sin embargo, dada la descripción de los efectos perjudiciales que tiene sobre la salud el consumo de este tipo de grasas, el perfil nutricional de los aceites comercializados en grandes superficies ha presentado una mejoría significativa, con una reducción importante en las cantidades de grasas trans.…”