Trans Fats What is the big deal

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Trans Fats What is the big deal?

• Dr. Becky Domokos-Bays, RD SNS
• Director of Food and Nutrition Services
• Robin Wallin RN, MSN, CPNP
• Nurse Coordinator
• Alexandria City Public Schools

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Role of Fat in a Healthy Diet

• Supplies energy
• Supplies essential fatty acids
• Serves as a carrier for the absorption of the
  fat-soluable vitamins A, D, E, K and carotenoids
• Serves role in building membranes
• Plays a key regulatory role in other biological
  functions

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Types of Fat

• Saturated fats carbon chains with hydrogen
  bonds everywhere
• Milk products, meats, milk chocolate, coconut
• Unsaturated fats carbon chains with one or more
  double bonds and two hydrogens dropped for each
  double bond
• Monounsaturated olive oil, nuts, avocados
• Polyunsaturated soy products, cottonseed, corn,
  sunflower, fish

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• TRANS FATS Two types
• Naturally occurring in meat, milk and other dairy
  products, the process of hydrogenation occurs in
  the rumen of cows and sheep.
• Trans fatty acids in dairy products (Conjugated
  Linoleic Acid-CLA) may have the positive health
  effects of inhibiting breast cancer and
  decreasing fatty deposits in arteries
• Manufactured fats which have been altered to
  change the structure so that it acts like a
  saturated fat.
• Snack foods, baked goods, processed foods

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Source Sizer and Whitney Nutrition Concepts
and Controversies, Seventh Ed.
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What is Cholesterol?

• Cholesterol in diet comes from animal sources
• Sources include meat and full-fat dairy products
• Cholesterol is a saturated fat

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Blood Lipids What do they mean?
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DIETARY GUIDELINES FOR AMERICANS 2005
RECOMMENDATIONS

• Consume less than 10 of calories from saturated
  fats and less than 300 mg/day of cholesterol
• Consume as few trans fats as possible
• Keep total fat intake to 20-35 of calories, with
  most fats being unsaturated
• Limit trans fats to 1 of calories (2 grams per
  day for a 2000 Kcal diet)

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Key Recommendation for Children and Adolescents

• Keep total fat intake between 30-35 of calories
  for children 2-3 years of age and 25-35 of
  calories for children and adolescents ages 4-18
  years of age
• Most fats should come from polyunsaturated and
  monounsaturated fats such as fish, nuts and
  vegetable oils

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So why are trans fats BAD?

• Saturated and Trans fats increase LDL (bad
  cholesterol) and lower HDL (good cholesterol)
• Cholesterol intake and elevated LDL has been
  linked to increased rates of heart disease and
  stroke
• Rise of obesity in children as well as adults is
  linked to increased fat in diet (13 of daily
  diet is currently saturated fats above
  recommended levels)

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Type 2 Diabetes

• According to the Harvard School of Public Health,
  if we replaced all of the trans fat in the
  American diet with polyunsaturated fats, we could
  reduce the national risk of type 2 diabetes by up
  to 40

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Why were trans fats developed?

• Trans fats were developed because they increased
  the shelf life and helped to stabilize flavors.
• Processed commercial baked goods are made with
  trans fats (hydrogenated oils and oils used for
  frying).
• 1/3 from margarine
• 2/3 from commercial baked goods and fried foods
• Today, 40 of supermarket products contain trans
  fats.

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Margarine

• Originally chosen as a heart-healthy alternative
  to butter
• Some forms of margarine (hard stick) have proven
  worse for the heart than butter (it can have up
  to 9 times the amount of trans fats as butter)
• If the first ingredient is OIL (not
  hydrogenated), it most likely is low in
  trans-fatty acid and saturated fat

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So What Has Been Done?

• Oil blends have been altered to eliminate trans
  fats
• Fat replacers have been added to products
• Use conventional ingredients in unconventional
  ways
• Artificial fats

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FAT REPLACERS

• CARBOHYDRATE-BASED
• FRUITS-PUREES/PASTES
• GELS-MIMICS TEXTURE IN MARGARINE
• GUMS-FROM BEANS, SEA VEGGIES
• MALTODEXTRINS-FROM CORN POWDERED AND FLAVORED TO
  RESEMBLE TASTE OF BUTTER
• OATRIM-OAT FIBER PROVIDES SATIETY
• Z-TRIM-MODIFIED FORM OF INSOLUBLE FIBER, FEELS
  LIKE FAT IN THE MOUTH

• USES IN FOODS
• BAKED GOODS, CANDY, DAIRY
• FF MARGARINES, SALAD DRESSING
• SALAD DRESSING, PROCESSED MEATS, DESSERTS
• BUTTER FLAVORED SPRINKLES FOR MELTING ON HOT
  FOODS
• DIPS, DRESSINGS, BAKED GOODS
• CHEESE, GROUND BEEF, CHOCOLATES, BAKED GOODS

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FAT REPLACERS

• FAT-BASED
• OLESTRA- A NONCALORIC ARTIFICIAL FAT MADE FROM
  SUCROSE AND FATTY ACIDS
• SALATRIM- DERIVED FROM FAT AND CONTAINS SHORT-AND
  LONG-CHAIN FATTY ACIDS

• USES IN FOODS
• POTATO CHIPS, TORTILLA CHIPS, CRACKERS (TRADE
  NAME OLEAN)
• CHOCOLATE COATINGS, DAIRY PRODUCTS, SPREADS
  (TRADE NAMEBENEFAT)

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FAT REPLACERS

• PROTEIN-BASED
• MICROPARTICULATED PROTEIN- Processed from
  proteins of milk or egg white into mistlike
  particles that roll over the tongue, making it
  feel and taste like fat

• USES IN FOODS
• ICE CREAM, DAIRY PRODUCTS (TRADE NAMES
  SIMPLESSE AND K-BLAZER)

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What can we do?

• Read labels All nutrition labels must currently
  declare the level of trans fat per serving.
• Under current law, a product may have .5 grams or
  less and list 0 grams of trans fat on the label.
  

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2007 SNA TRENDS REPORT

• 73.6 OF RESPONDENTS ARE REDUCING OR LIMITING
  TRANS FATS IN FOODS SOLD OR OFFERED THROUGH MEAL
  SERVICE, A LA CARTE, OR VENDING MACHINES
• 73.1 ARE LIMITING FAT CONTENT (lt30 FAT) OF A LA
  CARTE AND/OR VENDING ITEMS

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Applications for School Nutrition

• Analyze products to see which have trans fats
• Write specs to determine the oil blend you want
• State No Trans Fats, Trans Fat Free, or 0
  Trans Fat

• OIL, SOYBEAN, FOR FRYING
• DESCRIPTION
• SOYBEAN OIL, CLEAR TO A LIGHT AMBER COLOR, FREE
  FROM SEDIMENT, BLAND FLAVOR AND COLOR
• ANTIOXIDANT TBHQ ADDED TO RETARD RANCIDITY
• FOR DEEP FAT FRYING OIL MUST LAT 6-8 WEEKS ON
  AVERAGE
• HIGH SMOKING TEMP
• NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS AND INGREDIENT LIST REQUIRED
• OIL MUST CONTAIN 0 TRANS FAT